


The Honeymoon

by Madamevastra



Category: Star Wars - All Media Types, Star Wars Sequel Trilogy
Genre: F/M, Rey and Ben go to Earth basically, Reylo - Freeform
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2019-11-30
Updated: 2020-02-27
Packaged: 2021-02-18 03:43:58
Rating: Mature
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 13
Words: 65,674
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/21521302
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/Madamevastra/pseuds/Madamevastra
Summary: In a galaxy where marriages are arranged, Rey and Ben find themselves stuck in an engagement. Unluckily for them it comes at a critical time where Rey is struggling to figure out who she is during her training with Luke, and Ben is beginning to doubt his Supreme Leader, Snoke. Together they must navigate and make decisions regarding their arranged marriage during their honeymoon on an Earthlike location.(Follows TLJ somewhat)
Relationships: Kylo Ren/Rey, Rey & Ben Solo, Rey & Ben Solo | Kylo Ren, Rey/Ben Solo | Kylo Ren
Comments: 72
Kudos: 129





	1. Engaged

**Author's Note:**

> I'm really excited to share this story. It's like AU but not really because Rey and Ben visit "Earth" and do "Earth" things while still in the Star Wars Galaxy. Doesn't follow the Rise of Skywalker for obvious reasons. This started as a 12 days of Christmas writing challenge I did for myself. The first 12 chapters were posted daily. Also I'll be adding in tidbits of some Mumford & Sons lyrics that I feel really express Ben with each chapter. 
> 
> * * *
> 
> * * *
> 
> ####  **THE HONEYMOON**
> 
> _You may not be pious and I may not be saved. But we could live quite happily and quietly unfazed._
> 
> * * *

### Summary:

Rey and Ben meet through the force bond in the hut on Ahch-to, except this time they learn of something else about their fates.

* * *

Light and dark are neither good nor evil. Rather, they are day and night. The day is the light that bursts through the clouds and the horizon covering everything it reaches in bright comforting warmth. The night is the dark that outspreads in the absence of light. It's always everywhere; hiding in the spaces the light can’t reach. Some fear it for it's blindness and deafening silence. Others find comfort in it's stillness.

There is no light without the dark. How can the light shine if there is no dark to eclipse? How can the dark cloud if there is no light to cover? Both are around us, always. Everyday we see them. In the sky, when the sun has risen, the light covers the land in vivid and beautiful colors, and when the sun has set, the dark covers the land in wonderful hues of blues and grays. But in those moments when the sun is peaking through the horizon at dawn or at twilight, the light and the dark join as one, and together they cover the land in spectacular colors. It is then that we can truly see how the light and the dark are compliments of each other. Separate entities, but both necessary. 

* * *

_Congratulations! You're engaged!_

Rey looked at the holo she had just received. The words appearing from her holo pad in bright colors. She was in shock.

What the actual fuck.

And then she remembered. A few years ago when she came of age, she was required to take a match making exam. A ship had landed on Jakku, just for her, as she later learned that she was the only human in a hundred mile radius that had come of age.

At the time Rey was unaware of this match making exam. A woman had came out from the ship and escorted her onto it. Rey was anxious. A small stupid dependency of waiting for family had hoped maybe this was them to take her home. Was this silent woman her mother?

"This way. Please take a seat." the woman finally said to her.

Rey had entered an auditorium like classroom. No one else was there besides the woman and herself. Rey looked around wondering which empty seat to take, as the woman made her way down to the bottom of the auditorium. She stood at the podium, waited for Rey to sit down and began.

"Welcome to the Intergalactic Mankind Matching, may no human be left behind." The woman looked around the room as though she was presenting to a full crowd. The lights in the room began to dim as a video appeared behind the woman. She continued to speak as the video played.

Rey had never heard of such a thing. She watched the presentation taking it all in. Apparently humans have been spreading themselves thin over the galaxy. So to ensure mankind's survival, superiority and avoid isolation, this project began. The IMM strives to connect humans across the galaxy by focusing on the most powerful weapon, love. They focus on finding you a "soulmate" so that you marry and procreate. Those on desolate planets, are under mandate and qualify to take the exam for free. However recently because of the success of the IMM, many humans who live on core planets bursting with life already, often request to take the exam, with a fee. Rey qualified since she lived on Jakku, so she would have to take the exam. She realized the presentation was really vague with it's purpose. Although she understood what they were trying to do. They called themselves a match making service, but really in fact it was a popularized mandatory arranged marriage service to promote human domination. However, a small part of her was excited about it. This meant she wouldn't have to be alone anymore. One day she would have a husband and a family of her own.

_Congratulations! You're engaged!_

The time has finally come. Rey looked at the holo again. The excitement she felt those few years ago while taking the exam, was replaced by dread. She didn't want this now. She had a lot of things going on in her life, and the IMM was the last thing she needed.

There was no backing out from the IMM. It had become common law, and because of it's success rate no one cared. It had become unequivocally acceptable to be matched and then married in under a month. People wanted do it. It was gaining more and more popularity even among those on nonmandatory worlds with a predominately human population. People trusted the IMM to find their soulmate for them, more than their own intuition.

She now sat in a hut on Ahch-To, cold and wet from the rain. She wrapped herself in a blanket to warm herself up. Earlier she had gone looking for answers down in the caves and found nothing. She already knew the answer to which she was so desperately looking for. She was alone. _But you don’t have to be alone anymore._ The thought crept into Rey's mind, as she glanced down at the holo she was holding in her hands.

Suddenly her core began to grow warm, and immediately Rey recognized this feeling. She closed her eyes focusing on it. She was beginning to now welcome the force bond instead of fighting against it. She realized that when she fought it, it left her feeling empty, but when she focused on it, really focused it, the bond had an energy to it. It felt like something she had never felt before. She could recognize him. And so she let the warmth of the force bond fill her. It spread from her core to her limbs and tingled in all the right places. And then it pushed out from her and she knew what that meant. Rey opened her eyes.

There he was sitting across from her. Kylo Ren…or was it Ben Solo? The more she had gotten to know him through the force the more unsure she was beginning to feel who he was to her and what she should address him as. Before she had even known him, she based her impression of him of what others had told her. She saw what they told her to see. And when Kylo Ren killed his father, Han Solo, it was until then that Rey understood who Kylo was. He was a monster. However, Rey wasn't so sure that monster who she thought he was, was the same person appearing before her now.

He watched as she opened her eyes. Rey felt a bit self conscious. The holo was still active! She tried conspicuously to turn it off and tuck the holo pad under her blanket that was wrapped around her. Kylo's gaze followed her movements.

"So you know?" He asked slyly looking up from where she just tucked away the holo. What was he talking about? Rey rolled her eyes. This boy and his cryptic messages. Did he know? Maybe he sensed her inner turmoil…

"I thought I'd find answers…" Rey began, but stopped herself. She had the urge to tell him all that had happened. Maybe he would be the only one to understand what she was going through, and how she felt. He was attune to the force. Maybe he knew how to help her. Probably not. Afterall he was Kylo Ren. What advice could he possibly give her. She needed to confide in someone, and right now he was her best option as he was right here.

"I've never felt so alone," she confessed as she averted eye contact, looking down into her lap.

"You're not alone," Kylo confidently responded. 

Rey looked up from her lap, a bit taken back at his response. He _was_ listening to her, and not just physically listening, but emotionally as well. For once he was genuine with her. She looked into his eyes and she no longer saw a Kylo Ren masquerade. What she saw was his true self.

"Neither are you." Rey said. She wanted to let him know that she understand him too. Quiet filled the small hut as neither was unsure what to say next. The force bond had never lasted this long. It should have ended by now. It was changing, along with their relationship. Somehow Rey felt closer to him, to Ben Solo. A sort of mutual understanding and trust was growing between them.

Rey fumbled with the holo pad that was still tucked away under her blanket.

"Did you open it yet?" He nervously motioned to the thing in her lap. So he _had_ saw it earlier.

"Not yet…"She pulled it out from under the blanket and turned it back on. The IMM holos were as obviously flamboyant as possible. Anyone would know what it was from just the appearance.

"How about you open it?" Ben suggested. Rey grew suspicious. On the outside Ben looked calm, but on the inside whether through the force or intuition, she felt an uncertainty about him. Nervousness, but urgent. Terrifying, but exciting. What was going on his head?!

She felt the urge to fight him on this matter, claim it was none of his business, but it felt wrong to bring a negative energy like that into this vulnerable moment that they've opened themselves up to. So without a word she opened the holo. Ben watched her intently, sweat breaking out across his brow. 

A generic woman appeared as she began speaking to nothing in particular.

_Congratulations!_

_Your results have been carefully evaluated here at the IMM and we've found you a match of 98%._

_This is great news! Matches usually range in 82% - 99%. This means that you and your match are nearly perfect for each other!_

_From now, you can read the information that your match has submitted and get to know them a little. Then, together agree on a day to start your two week honeymoon and report to the IMM headquarters on Coruscant._

_Keep in mind of the process. First we match you, this is called initial engagement. Initial engagement usually lasts 1-10 standard days. Rest assured, our research has proven it is more effective to jump right in. Second, you and your partner will choose a Honeymoon destination that you desire. This is the most exciting for you and your partner to get to know each and grow your relationship. Third, is final engagement. Some couples find that they still need more time after the honeymoon to commit. This is usually due to work obligations or living arrangements. And lastly, is marriage._

The women had a lot of information to say but Rey felt Ben's eyes on her as she listened. She began to feel nervous. She skipped the rest and headed straight to the end, the part about her match's profile.

The women began, __  
You're 98% match profile!  
_Name: Ben Solo_

The women disappeared and Ben's face had popped up next to his information. His voice began speaking,  
_Hello, my name is Ben Solo._

Rey gasped. She quickly turned the holo off, suddenly embarrassed. Her face flushed red and so had his. Ben had tensed up in the seat across from her. She set the holo pad down and looked at him. The IMM made no mistakes. This was her match. This was why he was so interested in what her holo had to say. He must have gotten his at the same time, except he must have read his right away if he had already known. They were now engaged and there was no reversing this. _And_ he introduced himself as Ben Solo in his profile. Rey suddenly felt dizzy.

"Rey," Ben said quietly. Rey wasn't sure if she wanted to laugh, punch him, cry, or flee. How could this be?

A traitorous tear started falling down her cheek. Her emotions betraying her. She didn't want him to see her cry. She tried to best to fight back the tears.

An idea formed in Ben's mind. He couldn't just sit there and watch her cry. A few moments ago she was his enemy. Well that might be an exaggeration. They weren't enemies, just stuck on two opposing sides of a war. _Wasn't that the same thing, though?_ Whatever, he didn't want to dwell on it. Right now, forgetting everything that brought them here, Ben felt drawn to her. Maybe it was the engagement, knowing how perfect they were for each other, according the IMM, that drew him more to her. But he had been drawn to her even before this.

In that moment he wanted to comfort her. It would be the right thing to do. But he didn't know how. They had never touched through the force bond before. He had to try.

He slowly and purposefully pulled the glove off of his hand and reached out for her. He didn't know what he was doing, or if this would even work, but this was a start. He had to do something.

Understanding him, Rey instinctively reached her hand to join him. What this even possible? Could they touch through the force bond? She wanted to know. Together they would find out.

Her tears dried as she put all her focus in this. Their eyes were locked into each other, neither afraid to break the trance. And just for the briefest moment, they touched.

* * *

Wow. _Wow_. She trusted him. She fought for him. She came to the Supremacy for him. And he put her in handcuffs, and decided to drag her to his Supreme Leader, Snoke. She felt so foolish and betrayed. What she saw when they had touched hands and further cemented their fate had inspired her to go to him. Maybe also the fact that they were engaged and their honeymoon was like a ticking time bomb that they needed to discuss. But what she saw was that Ben Solo needed her if he was going to turn, and the only way that she ever saw herself being with him and making this engagement work was if he did turn.

Ben called off the troopers that walked with them and they boarded the elevator alone. She wavered on whether or not to confront him. Maybe now would be her only chance of them being alone to talk.

"You don't have to do this…" She began as she turned around to face him.

Ben kept his eyes forward, for he knew if he looked at her he might give himself away. He had to be careful in his thoughts and in his words as Snoke was so close by.

"Ben," he heard Rey say as she moved closer to him. This caught his attention. She had never called him by his name before. He hated his name, but coming from her it sounded like the most beautiful melody. He carefully watched her, not taking his eyes off hers. He couldn't help it. Something about her was so enticing. And the things she was saying; _when we touched hands… not bow before Snoke…_

Rey came as close as she could and whispered to him, "I'll help you. I saw it."

His heart was beating fast. Her proximity made him nervous, but also the things she said. When they touched hands whatever she saw was very similar to what he saw. Of three things, Ben gathered were certain: they both saw a future together, he would not bow before Snoke, and she'll stand with him and help him when the time comes. Their fates were so intertwined. Even if they weren't engaged, somehow he felt that this was going to happen regardless. It was their destiny.

Ben grew more sure of what he had to do, but he couldn't let her know. It would blow his whole reserve.

"I know what I have to do." He spoke the words confidently.

"Ben!" Rey pleaded. He could sense her utter fear and terror. It hurt him to see her like this, begging him for her life. He wanted to tell her that everything would be okay, just trust him. _NO_. Snoke was listening. He pushed the thoughts out of his head and focused on the task at hand. He had to keep focused. Her life depended on it. Her life depended on him.

And just as Rey predicted, Ben did not bow before Snoke. He chose to save her life. And in turn, Rey stood with him and they fought together. The force flowed through them both so effortlessly like it was a natural thing to do, fighting side by side as equals. They made a good team.

When all of their opponents were defeated, Rey could see her people trying to flee the fire of the First Order. The Resistance's chances were slim. She worried about their survival.

While Rey was distracted at checking on the Resistance, Ben was deliberating what to do next. What they both had predicted when they touched hands had come true, but what lay ahead was unclear. They were engaged and under law to follow through with it. Somehow that seemed insignificant now. Or not… no. His engagement to Rey is what had drove him to kill Snoke and save her and himself. _Yes, it was because of the arranged engagement_ , he told himself, _nothing more_. However a part of him, that he didn't want to admit to, had come to have some sort of feelings for her. The only way he saw them being together was if he wasn't obliged to a side and she wasn't obliged to a side as well. The only way he saw them being together was if they _were_ together, on their own side and not being pulled apart by other people's sides. He imagined her by his side, ruling together.

Maybe, just maybe if they left now they could sneak off to their mandatory honeymoon. Like a true elopement. They could run away and never come back. After the honeymoon they would inevitably marry. There would be no place in this war for them. They couldn't fight on opposite sides. He recognized at what they could accomplish together. They could rule together and bring a new order to the galaxy. The best one yet.

Now that Snoke was truly gone, no longer a constant influence in his life, Ben felt a reckless freedom. He didn't care about the First Order or the Resistance. What he cared about right now was getting to know her and exploring why the IMM deemed them 98% compatible.

"Rey," Ben said, grabbing her attention. "You have no place in this story. You come from nothing. You're nothing. But not to me. Join me."

He reached out his hand to her. She wanted to take it. _Oh she wanted to take it_. However his words stung her.

They had an engagement and it wasn't something they could easily back out of. Rey hadn't remembered what would happened if they never reported to the IMM together on Coruscant, but something told her there was a severe punishment. It was rare though that couples didn’t report in.

Rey admitted, a small part of her looked forward to it. She wanted to know why she was matched to Ben of all people. They were complete opposites, but somehow alike. She wanted to explore their relationship, because she felt drawn to him in ways she had never been to someone before. She wanted to understand him, and possibly save him from himself. 

In all the chaos going on around them it didn't seem like a good time to go, but when else would they have the chance. 

"But…"She looked back to see the Resistance struggling in their escape.

"Please," he pleaded, extending his hand further to her and stepping closer.

Rey looked at his outstretched hand. She hesitated because she wanted to trust him, but she didn't know if she should. He had saved her life…However he was still the same man who killed his own father, who killed many other beings, who did cruel things. It occurred to Rey that Ben had never intentionally hurt her. He would never hurt her, that she was sure of.

She took one more last look at her friends that she would be leaving behind. Somehow she felt that they would be okay. The Resistance would persevere. And without answering his question, Rey stepped forward and took his hand, knowing that that action was an answer in itself.

* * *

"Where are you going?" Hux had asked as he walked up to them.

Ben had handcuffed Rey again, and was leading her through the halls of the Supremacy.

"Our Supreme Leader, Snoke is dead. She killed him." Ben pushed Rey.

"What? That, that can't be." Hux trembled.

"I'm taking her down to a cell to secure her. As of now I'm assuming the role of Supreme Leader."

Hux hesitated, but accepted. "Very well, Supreme Leader," he said as he stepped out of the way.

_Supreme Leader._ Rey hadn't thought that Ben would be the next in line of command of the First Order.

Ben pushed Rey along, trying to keep up the pretense. They walked past several other personnel, but all keep their heads down as they passed. No one dared to look Ben, Kylo Ren whether they knew he was the Supreme Leader already or not.

* * *

* * *

_Love, it will not betray you, dismay or enslave you, it will set you free._

* * *


	2. Elope

### Summary:

Rey and Ben travel together on their way to the IMM headquarters on Coruscant to embark on their Honeymoon.

* * *

Somehow they managed to depart the Supremacy unnoticed. Maybe people noticed but they just didn't question or care because of Kylo Ren's influence. Just as they were beginning to fly off the Supremacy, the Resistance's Raddus crashed right into it. Rey gasped at the massive collision of the two ships. Ben took a quick glance, but put his focus back to getting them out of there. Many of the First Order's fighters were now returning to the Finalizer nearby to regroup.

Rey watched as the last of the Resistance's transports made their way down to the nearby planet Crait. She felt relieved and a little guilty that she wasn't with them. There was no going back, and she had accepted that the moment she took Ben's hand. 

Soon they were in hyperdrive, the scene behind them blurring out of existence. Rey and Ben sat in silence. Neither bothered to glance the other's way. Rey began to grow uncomfortable in the silence. Had she made the wrong decision? She wanted to believe that she made the right decision, because it _was_ the right decision. Ben needed her, and not just because they were engaged. Whatever he had done in the past could be forgiven because she saw the man he could become, but he could only become that if she helped him through it. She couldn't abandon him, she didn't _want_ to abandon him. They were force bonded. That meant something to her.

And yet she couldn't help but think it was also the wrong decision. She worried about what others would think of her actions. How would her friends in the Resistance feel about this. She could blame the IMM, because it was a trusted service no one could argue that she had made the wrong the decision. What Rey did, she did out of love, they would say. They couldn't disagree with the facts and the facts were that her and Ben Solo were a 98%, nearly perfect match!

Rey broke the awkwardness and glanced over at Ben. He seemed like a natural pilot, at ease but concentrated. She wondered if he had learned how to fly from his father.

"You've never been to Coruscant, have you?" It was him to break the silence. He took his eyes off the blur of space to give her attention.

"No I haven't." Rey was glad that they were actually talking. Ben, however didn't say any more. They both went back to looking out the cockpit windows into the blur that was hyperspace.

"What's it like? Coruscant," she asked him, not wanting to have to sit in silence anymore.

"A never-ending city," he replied.

"I've never seen a city before." Rey confessed. At her words, Ben turned to her amazed. And then it dawned on him that Rey really hasn't been anywhere. For her whole life all she knew was Jakku.

"It's loud, and overpopulated, and constantly lively. You wouldn't like it." He said nonchalantly.

"You don't know that I wouldn't like it," she glared at him. The city sounded intimidating. And maybe, quite possibly she wouldn't like it according to Ben's description of it. But she wouldn't admit that to him.

A smug smile began to creep across Ben's face. "You wouldn't like it," he said more assured this time. It annoyed her that he knew that he was right. 

Wait… _Was he…?_ Was he teasing her? Rey wanted to hit him, not forcefully but in a playful kind of way. Something about that smug look on his face and the bait in his voice made her want to touch him. Instead she let out a huff and turned away from him.

They sat in quiet once more. How could it be that they were on their way to their honeymoon. Rey couldn't believe it. She wondered what lay ahead on their honeymoon. She didn't know much about the IMM, but she heard about honeymoons and…Would they… _No_ …Not a chance. She couldn't see herself getting that comfortable with him. But just then hadn't she wanted to touch him?

Being with Ben was complicated. Her feelings about him were complicated.

After some time sitting quietly, Ben suddenly stood up and left the cockpit. Rey heard some noises coming from the room over. Ben shortly appeared again holding some things. _It was food!_

"Here." He handed her a few items. She looked at it realizing it was actual food and not tasteless portions. Ben sat back down in the pilots chair and immediately began eating.

Rey hadn't noticed how starving she had become. She was so caught up that she had forgotten that she even was hungry. She looked down at the food and noticed the First Order's seal on it. _Dammit_. Her friends would never forgive her. She laughed internally realizing that she worried more about what others thought if she were to eat First Order food, than marry Kylo Ren, the new Supreme Leader of the First Order. She had to stop thinking of what others would think of her. She began following Ben's lead and greedily scarfed down her food too.

When she finished eating, Ben gathered their trash and left the cockpit. However, this time he didn't return. Rey sat in the copilot chair, wondering if he'd return, but when he didn't she grew restless and decided to get up. She exited the cockpit and walked down the hall. The interior of this command shuttle was all black and sleek, upsilon class. Of course it was his.

Not finding Ben anywhere Rey returned to the cockpit and sat back down. How many hours did they have to go? How long did he said it takes? Almost a day's cycle. Right, well then…Rey curled up in the chair and laid her head back and tried to drift off to sleep.

* * *

It was dark. She was on a barren planet somewhere. Nothing looked familiar. It was cold, but yet she felt warm. She heard a child sobbing but she couldn't tell where it was coming from. Something told her to follow the sound and so she did. Out of nowhere in the distance she saw the source of the sobs. A boy was crouched over someone laying on the ground in front of him. Rey carefully approached the boy. The boy stopped sobbing and looked up to see who had joined him.

"Who are you?" The boy asked. The boy had dark locks of hair partially covering his face which contrasted his pale skin.

"Please help me." The boy looked back down at the man laying on the ground. Rey recognized the man. It was Han Solo.

"Ben?" Rey asked as she crouched down to try to see him better. The boy ignored her and continued sobbing.

"I did it," the boy confessed wiping his tears. "Now mom is going to ship me off to Uncle Luke." The boy calmed himself, wiping the rest of his tears off of his face. And then he stood up.

"I won't go!" The boy yelled at the man laying on the ground and then he took off, running away from them. Rey looked back down and Han had disappeared. She got up, trying to find the boy but she could no longer see him. She was alone.

Rey no longer felt warm, she could feel the harsh cold of the barren planet now. And then it vanished and everything went black.

* * *

Rey awoke to find that Ben was there beside her, looking out into hyperspace. _How long had he been there?_

"I don't understand," he said as she had sat up in her seat. "Snoke said that he bridged the force bond between you and I, but when he died, the bond should have died with him."

Ben looked deep in thought. Rey hadn't considered their force bond or that it would dissipate with Snoke's death.

"When we were apart the bond brought us together, and now that we're together, the bond…is connecting our dreams?" Ben looked to Rey for help in understanding.

"So that was your dream?" Rey said, understanding now what she saw.

"How can this be?" Ben ignore her question, still in thought. He wanted to know the extent of their force bond.

"Maybe Snoke lied," Rey suggested.

"No. He wouldn’t lie. Why would he do that?" Ben said confidently.

"To keep you under his control. If he felt threatened that he was losing you to something else…" Rey paused, not wanting to acknowledge that the something was in fact herself. "…Then maybe he would want you to believe that it was his doing to keep you in check."

"So we did this to ourselves." Ben stated.

"When you tried digging through my mind, and I tried digging through yours, that must have opened up some type of force bond," Rey said.

"Yes," Ben agreed. "Our minds must have been intermingled with the force. It's not unheard of, but plausible."

"How do we undo it?" Rey asked. At this, Ben felt a slight stab in the heart that she would want to undo it. Ben wanted to understand their bond, not rid it. He had come to have some sort of comfort in their bond. It had brought them together, given him a friend, a confidant. Without the bond, they never would have gotten to know each other on a personal level. She would have never come to him and he would have never felt the need to save her. Their engagement would have been a nuisance.

_"I'm engaged to the scavenger," He spat, blood boiling at the rage of being affiliated to her. She had bested him, and left a scar._

_"Bring her to me," Snoke commanded._

_Kylo Ren didn't question his master. He would bring the girl to Snoke. Whether if Snoke chose to kill her, he didn't care._

Ben shuddered at the thought of who he used to be under Snoke. He was grateful for the bond with Rey. In a way, she was changing him, but he would never tell her that.

"Ben?" Rey asked. He hadn't noticed that he drifted off into his own thoughts.

"I don't know," he said honestly. He didn't know how to undo the bond, nor did he want to. He secretly hoped they would always be bonded because he couldn't imagine who he would be if Rey wasn't there to anchor him.

They sat in silence for the rest of the journey. It wouldn't be much longer. Ben pulled the shuttle out of hyperdrive.

"This isn't Coruscant," Rey said as she looked out over the world they approached. Lush green forest covered the planet they arrived on. It was Takodana.

Rey had remembered it from the first time she came here with Finn and Han Solo. That was so long ago. It was also the first time she met him. Although then, he was Kylo Ren to her.

Ben brought the shuttle down into the atmosphere and landed in a clearing in the woods. Without a word he got up and exited the shuttle. Rey followed behind, a bit annoyed that he wasn't saying anything.

"Why are we here?" She asked him as they were walking down the ramp and onto the planet. 

"I can't arrive on Coruscant with my shuttle. It will be immediately recognized. And by now Hux would know that I lied about taking you down to a cell, he'll have seen Snoke dead along with all the Praetorian guards and know that you couldn't have done that all by yourself."

Rey felt a little insulted that no one would think she couldn't have taken Snoke and his guards on by herself.

"But you're the Supreme Leader. You're untouchable," Rey said.

"I killed the Supreme Leader," Ben spat.

Rey wondered where his allegiance lay now. It was clear he didn’t want to be the Supreme Leader. He only played the part and said he was to help them escape. What would happened after the honeymoon. Where would they go? Rey would go back to the Resistance, for sure. But she couldn't take Ben with her. The Resistance would never accept him. And she couldn't just abandon him. She cursed herself for being so tied to this man.

"Keep up!" Ben called to her as he was already walking a ways ahead of her. Rey jogged a little to catch up to him. She settled on walking behind him instead of at his side, unsure where they were going. The forest was vast and quiet. It brought back memories of the last time when she had been here, being chased by a man in a mask. Was that the same man with her now? Of course it was, she told herself. She shouldn't forget who he is, what he's done.

Rey felt a water droplet land on her head. She heard it before it came to them. Rain started to fall down through the trees. It became heavier so that even the forest's thick leaves couldn't cover the rain from falling through. Rey's clothes were becoming drenched in the rain. She wasn't sure where they going or for how long. She wanted to stop and find shelter. Ben was persistent and kept drudging through the rain, picking up his pace.

He suddenly had stopped walking, Rey almost walking into him. They had reached a clearing in the forest. In the middle sat a house covered in moss. It blended in with its surroundings, looking like it grew up and out of the ground. Someone lived there, as lights shown through the windows. Someone was home.

"Wait here," Ben commanded.

She wasn't going to wait in the rain. Rey followed close behind him. He didn't argue when he saw that she hadn't listened to him. They approached the house carefully. Rey saw that Ben had put his hand on his lightsaber attached to his waist, ready to whip it out. She didn't want him to hurt anybody. Especially someone resting in their own home that they were intruding on.

Rey put her hand over his hand that was touching his lightsaber. He flinched at her touch, not in a bad way, but in an unexpected way. It reminded him of that last time they had touched hands, expect now there were no visions. There was warmth there where her hand was on his, and something else. He didn't remove his hand from hers.

"No," she whispered with disdain. They were at the front door of the house now, and she didn't want anyone inside to hear them.

Ben, not wanting to argue or start up with her knowing she would disapprove of anything he had to say about being ready to protect them, he let go of his lightsaber. It was an honest reflex to go for his lightsaber. He didn't think that they were in any real danger, however he also didn't know who might answer the door. Rey seemed satisfied that he had let go. Ben gave her a nod of reassurance and then knocked on the door.

Not a few seconds later, a young man answered the door. "Yes?" he said wearily.

"Is Cordel Taa here?" Ben asked the young man. It then occurred to Rey that Ben knew exactly where they were. He knew this house was going to be here and maybe he knew these people.

"Dad, someone's here to see you!" The young man turned around and yelled into the house. An older man, who Rey assumed was Cordel Taa appeared at the door, as the young man slip away behind him.

"What can I do for you?" Cordel Taa asked them.

"Cordel Taa?" Ben asked the man. Cordel Taa simply nodded in response, and then his eyes grew wide looking at Ben.

"Ben Solo?" He brought his hands up to cup Ben's cheeks. "Why that is you! You've all grown up." The old man pulled Ben into a hug, while Ben remained stiff, not reciprocating.

"How many years has it been? Last I saw you, you were this high." Cordel motioned to the height of his waist. "Now look at you. Where's your father? I haven't seen Han in years." Cordel looked around to only find Rey with him. Ben tensed up at the question of his father, unsure of how to answer and so he didn't say anything.

"Hi, I'm Rey," Rey said as she extended her hand to greet him and break the awkward silence.

"Rey," Cordel said as he embraced her in a quick hug.

"Come in, come in." He ushered them into his home and to a table which sat in the middle of the room. His home was quaint and humble. Completely different than the outside covered in moss. It felt like his family had lived here for a long time with knickknacks scattered throughout.

"Tea?" The young man who had first greeted them now came to table and set down two mugs in front of them. Rey took one mug. It was hot. Rey had never been so grateful for a warm mug of tea before. Her clothes were wet and uncomfortable. She held the mug close to her lips letting the steam heat her face and then taking the smallest sip. Ben didn't bother to touch his mug.

"Jas, you remember Ben, don't you?" Cordel asked the young man. Ben tensed up severely, clearly growing uncomfortable. Rey studied him. He looked fine on the outside, but she could feel his insecurity boiling up on the inside. It was so clear. How could she feel it? She looked at Jas and Cordel. They didn't seem to notice anything. Maybe it was just her because she was force sensitive.

"I think I do…" Jas looked to Ben and then left the room down a hallway, uninterested in this meeting.

"Well, that was a long time ago when your father brought you around. How is he these days?" Cordel asked honestly as he sat across from them at the table.

Rey felt the waves dread flowing from Ben. She glanced from Cordel to Ben and saw that sweat was now forming on Ben's forehead. He was nervous. Rey was started to feel anxious from all of his emotions projecting onto her.

"Han Solo died," Rey said hesitantly.

Cordel's face flinched and then frowned at the news of losing his friend. Maybe she shouldn't have said it so bluntly. Rey had wondered how well he knew Han Solo and Ben. Did he know what Ben had become? Probably not, treating him with all of this hospitality.

"I'm sorry to hear that…" Cordel changed the subject, not wanting to dwell on the bad news. "So anyways, what brings you here…with a woman?" He suggestively said as he glanced back and forth between the pair. Rey nearly choked on the tea she was sipping.

"I need your help," Ben said. Rey had thought that Ben had frozen up for a while there. Being here and meeting this man, that appeared to have known him as a child and visited here with Han, must have been awkward for him.

"What can I do for you?" Cordel sat back in his chair, relaxing.

"We need to borrow the Greenwood."

"Oh."

"We will return it. In a few weeks. You have my word," Ben said seriously.

Cordel sitting back in his chair still, thought for a bit, and then after a minute he sat up.

"Jas!" He called for the young man, who appeared. "Take them to the Greenwood."

Rey and Ben both stood to go with Jas.

"Wait, you're going to need these." Cordel handed each of them a poncho. Ben reluctantly took one, without thanking the man. Why was he being so _weird_?

"Thank you." Rey said, accepting for the both of them.

They put on their ponchos on and followed Jas outside into the rain. 

The rain was unrelenting. They didn't have to walk too much further until they reached a wide meadow within the forest. In the middle of the meadow sat a VCX-200 light freighter. It was similar to the Millennium Falcon, but slightly smaller.

"Welcome to the Greenwood," Jas said as he boarded them onto the ship. "From the stories I've heard from my father about Han Solo, I assume you're an excellent pilot just as well." Jas was speaking to Ben, who had tensed up again at the mention of his father.

"Thank you. I think we've got it from here," Rey cut in.

Jas nodded to the both of them and left.

"What was that back there?" She asked him once they had settle in the Greenwood and hit hyperdrive.

"What are you talking about?" He countered. Rey realized he was going to make this difficult. If Rey was going to help him she need to understand why he was so uncomfortable with his past.

"You knew those people. Did you and Han go there when you were young? Are they family friends?" She asked all too eagerly and fast.

"They aren't my friends!" Ben snapped at her, growing annoyed with her probing questions.

"Oh," Rey said turning away from him. She didn't want him to see that she was hurt by his sudden outburst. Maybe it was too much, too soon.

"You're projecting," he said in a much calmer tone now.  
"What?" Rey hissed. She was still turned away, not wanting to confront him.

"You're projecting your feelings through the force." He told her bluntly.

"Me? Me?!" She whipped around to face him, anger in her voice.

"Back there you were the one projecting your feelings. It was so clear. You were so tense and nervous and… and insecure!" She spat at him.

He wanted to continue arguing with her. _He liked it._ It was cute and something else, he couldn’t quite put his finger on it. But he knew that he _liked_ her angry with him. He was going to yell back at her, to further entice her, but he suddenly realized something.

"Did you feel the others feelings as well? Cordel and Jas?" He asked her.

"What? No. Only you. I wasn't even trying but yet I was practically drowning in your dread." She told him.

"Then it's not just the force. You would have felt all of our emotions equally. It has to be the bond."

"Oh," Rey quietly said. She was calm now. The force bond really had an impact on their relationship when they were apart, and even more so now that they were together.

"Ok then. What am I thinking now?" Rey concentrated on projecting something in particular, not expecting him to actually read her thoughts.

"It doesn't work like that I can't see your th---" Ben began to say, but was cut off. "The elevator… and my lips?"

"Ah!" Rey nervously laughed. That wasn't what she wanted him to see. She had thought of the elevator, but she was focused on the part of telling him that she'd help him. She kept replaying that scene in her head to project to him. Somehow she grew tired of just focusing on that scene and her mind drifted to how his lips looked in that moment. Of course that was the part he picked up on.

"Okay, now its your turn," Rey wanted to desperately change the subject.

"No," Ben said shaking his head absolutely.

"Come on, it's only fair." She gave him a flirtatious smile. _Why did she do that?!_ She couldn't help herself.

"Ok," he easily surrendered. _Damn._

Rey waited for his thoughts to flood hers. It came just as the bond did. Warmth starting in her core and spreading through her limbs down to her tips. The warmth filled her body and this time it didn't leave. She saw that man, Cordel, except he looked a lot younger. He was talking to a younger Han, but she couldn’t quite hear what they were saying. They were standing across the room from her. Rey sat at the same table she and Ben had sat at earlier, however this time she was shorter at the table. She could barely see over the surface. Rey realized she was a much younger Ben, watching his father talk to Cordel. And everything vanished along with the warmth of their bond.

She didn't know how to tell him what she saw. It felt so personal, and maybe he might get mad again.

"Rey," he said softly. An unsaid mutual understanding passed between them. It was his way of apologizing for having yelled at her. He couldn’t bring himself to say the words, but he could show her. It was difficult for him to talk about his past. Snoke had ruined that for him, by persuading him to kill his own father. Ben felt it was the wrong thing to do, but at that time he also felt like he didn't have choice. It was his actions. Upon killing his father, the only way he could heal was try to block off all of his memories with his father. If he could forget his father, then it wouldn't hurt so much, he wouldn't hurt so much.

But it wasn't so simple. His father had been such a big part of his earlier life, before Snoke. As much as Ben tried to rid himself of everything Han Solo, things would always resurface. His father would always be there with him, no matter what he did.

"We'll arrive at Coruscant soon," He told her settling back into his chair. Rey settled into her chair too.

* * *

* * *

_So we come to a place of no return, yours is the face which makes my body burn._

* * *


	3. Earth

### Summary:

Rey and Ben arrive at the IMM and then head out on their honeymoon.

* * *

Ben was right about Coruscant. It was an endless city that did cover the entire planet. Tall buildings towered into the skies, and shuttles swarmed around them but somehow in an organized manner. He steered them closer to a sleek and thin skyscraper topped with the letters 'IMM' in gold. It looked rich and far too fancy for the tattered clothes that Rey was wearing. She had never seen such a beautiful place.

" _Wow_ ," Rey gasped.

Once Ben had landed on the spaceport of the IMM building, he unclipped his lightsaber and stashed it into a compartment below the controls.

"We can't take these with us," he said reaching out for Rey to give him hers. "If we bring them, we could be easily recognized."

"Right," Rey said, unclipping hers and handing it to him.

"They would confiscate them anyways. No weapons on honeymoons." He stated and added her lightsaber in the same compartment as his.

She felt lighter without her lightsaber, and just a bit exposed. What if they needed to defend themselves? What if she needed to defend herself? She had the force, but with nothing to channel it through, she would fall short. She was sure Ben could handle himself without an actual weapon.

Rey followed Ben out of the Greenwood and onto the spaceport. If Ben was worried about being recognized, then what about his clothes? Well, without the mask he did look just like a First Order General, towering and powerful. Not many knew of Kylo Ren's real face as he wore the mask all of the time. However since Rey had known him and he unmasked himself to her, she hadn't seen him wear it since.

Ben was growing increasingly impatient. The mundane formalities of being a civilian of having to wait on others instead of being waited on, was irritating to him. He didn't have to say anything, but Rey could just feel it through the force. How many more questions do they have to answer? How much more information do they have to sit through. He was on the verge of lashing out and exposing them, growing tired of being civil. He wanted the privileged treatment he was so used to in the First Order.

"This way please," an IMM worker clad in all white said as he guided them into another hall. They had been ushered throughout the 'Honeymoon Departures' floor of the IMM, going from hall to hall. The IMM was a stark white and pristine place. This hall that they entered was larger than the others. Consoles were place around the room. Some had couples and a worker huddled around them, viewing something on a hologram that projected from the console.

"Now, let's choose your destination," the worker said as he walked around a console and stopped across from them on the other side of it. He turned on the hologram and a map of the galaxy appeared before them. Ben nor Rey said anything. Actually neither of them had said much throughout this whole process here.

Rey was overwhelmed. With each passing second, this was becoming more and more real. She was going to go on a Honeymoon with Kylo Ren. She wondered how she got here, but she knew exactly how she got here. If he was going to go through with it, then so was she.

"We have many Honeymoon locations across the galaxy." The worker zoomed in across the galaxy on the holo.

"This is our most popular affordable plan," he zoomed into one planet in particular. Promotion pictures and videos appeared as he zoomed so close to the planet that it dissolved. "Mon Cala. It's a tropical paradise. Very romantic."

 _Romantic?_ What else should she expect. Honeymoons were meant to be romantic, but not this one. Rey wouldn't…she couldn't even bring herself to think about him like _that_. They were just going to go on the Honeymoon as friends, right? Complete the task, and move on. It was just another mission. Did Ben think that as well?

"Or maybe it's seclusion in the skies of Bespin," the worker zoomed in on another planet.

"Enough!" Ben pounded his hands down on the console's edge. The IMM worker was startled and nearly was everyone else around them.

"Ben," Rey said disdainfully. She was embarrassed, but more or so upset with him for making a scene. She motioned with her eyes to the others stares around them. Ben followed her gaze like he didn’t realize they were being watched. He then closed his eyes, and gathered himself.

"We'll take the best, most expensive plan you have," Ben said in a much more calmer tone, as he opened his eyes.

"Ah, very well." The worker began nervously scanning around the galaxy, in search of Ben's request.

"Here on Naboo. Model: Earth," he zooms in on a planet, pictures of an alien settings showing up. "This is our most expensive and well reviewed plan," he says confidently. "It comes with a bonus weekend trip to Mon Cala. It's our most interactive plan as well; challenging the most difficult parts of a relationship by learning to work together-"

"We'll take it," Ben says, cutting the man off.

"Good, but you should know-"

"I said, we'll take it."

"Wait," Rey cuts in. "Did you even look at it?" She points to Ben and back to the holo of Model: Earth promotions on the screen. It looked very alien to her, like nothing she's never seen before.

"I don't need to. It'll do."

"Umm," the workers says hesitantly. "Because of the mechanics of the Model: Earth plan, there is a waiting list."

"A waiting list," Ben says blankly irritated. He goes to grab instinctively for his lightsaber that isn't there. Rey looks to him in a panic. She doesn't think but she grabs him on the arm. Ben looks down to where Rey is now holding him. He feels comfort from her, but he can tell that she would be cross with him if he lashed out again. He tried to calm down, for her.

"It's not like other plans…a lot of preparation is needed for it," the worker keeps talking, unaware of Rey's and Ben's exchange.

Ben breathes in once and lets it out, resolved. Rey lets go feeling his ease. He walks around the console to the worker, who is seemingly becoming uncomfortable with this confrontation.

"We've been expedited. Check the waiting list again." Ben says to the guy using his force influence.

The worker checks his handheld halo pad, and with a smile looks back at Ben, "Oh my mistake. You're right, you're at the top of the list. Let's get you prepared."

* * *

Whatever the Model: Earth plan on Naboo was, Rey was growing ever curious. It required bloodwork, DNA extraction. She had wished that Ben had let the man talk and explain what the plan was about. From the brief promotional pictures and video she had seen it looks alien to her, out of this galaxy.

After Ben had 'convinced' the IMM worker that they were next on the waiting list, they were taken to another floor in the IMM building. Apparently the Model: Earth plan was prestigious and taken very seriously. The floor has it's own medical wing that Ben and Rey were separated at. Rey wondered why the IMM would need her blood and DNA for this. She didn’t ask questions, she just followed the procedure. It wasn't too intrusive, but still she thought it was strange. What had he signed them up for exactly?

After the medical exam, she was given a set of clothes to change into along with new shoes and a watch. She was told that she wouldn't be allowed to bring any of her own belongings. The Model: Earth plan required costumes apparently. She was ushered to a shower and changing room. This was the best honeymoon plan money could buy and it sure felt like it.

Rey went to shower. It was the fanciest shower she had ever had in her life. Soap that smelled of flowers she's never experienced before, hot water hitting her body in all the right places. After her shower she dried off eyeing the clothes on the counter. She had never seen such fabrics before. There were four pieces and a pair of short brown boots. The smallest two pieces, she assumed to be undergarments, made from a simple cotton material. Next the pants. They were blue, woven from cotton too, but the material was much more durable and rough. Then the top, it was softest of all the garments. It was beige, and made from an animals fur most likely. It had been woven into a thick consistent pattern, but even still the fur of the animal was still fluffy. Rey dressed herself accordingly, feeling awkward in the foreign garments. She almost forget to attach the watch they had given her. It looked like a fragile antique, but somehow durable.

Rey walked out of the shower room to find Ben waiting in the hallway. Ben eyed her new outfit.

 _Oh my_. Ben had been dressed in a costume too. Rey had never seen Ben outside of black and his military attire. His hair was fresh and clean from his shower, laying wet and messy on his head. The look of him fresh from a shower tugged at Rey in a way she had never felt before. She looked the rest of him over. Ben was wearing a crisp white button up shirt that fitted him in all the right places. Rey again, felt that tug. Her eyes dropped down to his pants. He was in navy trousers that also fitted him very well, paired with some brown lace up shoes. He worn the same antique looking watch as her, except his was scaled larger. He looked regal, in an alien way, but also in an attractive way. _Damn._

"Since you've been expedited, you're the only couple departing for Model: Earth , so the shuttle is all yours," the same IMM worker from before had showed up in the hallway and now guided them from the showers onto a shuttle. "We'll meet again in two weeks, Mr. and Mrs. Solo. Happy Honeymoon," he said as the doors to the shuttle closed.

_What the-_

Ben and Rey sat across from each other in the passenger compartment. The shuttle took off from Coruscant heading to Naboo.

"Stop looking at me," Rey told him. She had felt his eyes on her since they departed.

"Mrs. Solo," He smirked at some inside joke with himself.

"I am not Mrs. Solo!"

"Oh, but you will be. You do realize that."

Right. They _were_ on a honeymoon to be married.

"Well, who says I have to take your last name."

"Rey," he began, unsure if he should continue. "You don't have a last name. You'll take mine," he said with some pride.

"Why should I even take your last name when you don't even acknowledge it anymore," she spat at him. She wasn’t sure why she was getting angry over this, but she did have a point. Everyone knew him as Kylo Ren. That is who he was now.

"You're right," He paused. "I am Kylo Ren, that is my title." He left it at that looking away from her, but Rey didn't need him to explain any further. She understood that he was Kylo Ren, a title he had taken up himself when he fled Luke Skywalker and created the Knights of Ren. However, even though that was his title and the name that everyone had come to call him, he was still Ben Solo and that's who he was to her too. She didn't want to call him by his title. It felt distant to call him Kylo Ren, and she didn't want to be distant from him; just another servant referring to their master. She want to be his equal so he was Ben Solo to her as she was Rey to him. She would take his last name.

Ben stood up coming to join her on her side of the shuttle. He sat down next to her, knees almost touching as he placed a holopad on her lap.

"It's Model: Earth's information. I thought you might want to know more about it," he said sheepishly. Rey held the holopad in her hands. Had she projected that to him? She didn't remember. Maybe he just understood her or felt bad that he kind of made a scene back in hall and cut short their time to learn more about their destination.

Rey turned it on, and a man appeared, wearing a costume similar to theirs.

_Hello and Welcome to Model: Earth. My name is Xan Harson, the founder of Model:Earth. You're probably wondering what am I wearing. I'm wearing the traditional clothes of Earth, a planet galaxies away from us. You too are wearing traditional clothes. I have spent the majority of my life trying to search for life beyond our galaxy and I was fortunate to find one. They called it the Milky Way. They were primitive and had not yet discovered the technology to travel through space and time in their galaxy. Because of this they populated one single planet, Earth. Earth was a multi-climate planet, ranging from dessert to glaciers to forests to plains. I lived several years on Earth learning the ways of the people there and grew fond of their simple lifestyle._

_Upon my return to our galaxy, I wanted to spread the knowledge about Earth and how the people lived there, so I created the Model: Earth attraction on Naboo. However it didn’t take well, so I sold it to the IMM and together we created the Model: Earth Honeymoon plan. Please immerse yourself in Model: Earth. I hope that you enjoy all it has to offer._

The man disappeared from the holo. Rey sat the holopad down beside her.

"We're going to an alien themed attraction," Rey said. She was glad there was no talk of romance in this plan. It sounded interesting and immersing. They would be too busy doing alien things to even think about romance. _Right?!_

Honestly Rey still had no idea what she would face on this honeymoon.

* * *

The shuttle dropped them off outside the Model: Earth boundaries in an open plain. They were greeted by another man who had stepped out of a groundcar. Rey had never seen one in person. Groundcars were old and unreliable, and so they were hardly used anymore.

"Welcome!" The man called out, waving them towards him. He opened the second doors on the groundcar. "Please get in."

Rey and Ben hopped into the backseat of the groundcar as the man hopped in the front and started the engine.

"This is an automobile, but you can call it a car. It's an exact replica of one from Earth." He called from the front seat. He put the car in gear and then slowly pulled off and started driving down a road into the woods.

Rey looked over to Ben. He seemed so large in this small space. His long legs crouched in the little space there was in the backseat. His head almost touching the roof of the car. It was funny.

 _What's so funny?_ She heard him say, but she didn't actually see him say anything. He was looking out the window at the passing trees. Oh. Oh. She felt him at the corners of her mind. A warmth creeping it's way in. It was subtle, but he was there.

 _You're laughing._ But she wasn't laughing, not physically.

 _You in this car._ And then she showed him what she was seeing. She felt a hint of amusement from him, but it was so faint and then it was gone. They had never communicated like that through the bond before. They could feel each others emotions, share visions and dreams, and now they could communicate through it. It was scary, but yet thrilling. It was easy to control the things like communicating and visions, but the things like emotions and dreams were unpredictable. It came and went on it's own.

She didn't want Ben in her head whenever he pleased. She would need to learn how to control the bond. Maybe Ben had already learned how to control it. She never saw into his mind unless he granted her access, however his emotions were like an open book. She could feel whenever his emotions were heightened. That was one thing he couldn't control.

"This is it. We're here. Model: Earth!" The man said excitedly from the front seat. The car slowed down at a wall surrounding the location, to allow a gate to open and let them through.

The gate opened up to nothing in particular. The same road still continued through the woods beyond. They drove for about another minute until the road curved around. Rey could see buildings down the road. They weren't like the tall buildings on Coruscant, or even like any other buildings she had ever seen before. The man slowed down the car as they entered the town.

"This is Main Street," he said as he pointed to the buildings around them. Everything looked so alien to Rey, almost like a fairytale. The buildings were no higher than two stories each, made of brick. The windows were large with several panes. Each building had a sign to mark what it was for. Even though she could read the signs, most of them made no sense to her; words she had never heard before. There were people walking around and some were riding on some sort of two wheeled self-powered vehicle. The people looked happy.

The man drove them around Main Street slowly, allowing them to get a good view. Everything seemed so peaceful.

"This is the Country," he said driving past some fields. "We grow a lot of our own produce here. The founder, Xan Harson, brought back seeds from his journey to Earth and we've been growing the traditional fruits and vegetables right here. You'll see all the food in this town is as authentic as we can make it."

"And last, the Suburbs. These are replicas of houses of Earth." The man turned down a street away from the Country and Main Street. This new street was lined with smaller buildings. Each home was different. Some had only one story while others had two. They were all different shapes and colors, adorned with various plants that complimented each house.

"This house is yours." He stopped in front of a house. Rey gawked. The house was cute and quaint just like all the others. It was a one story house, with what looked like half a story. The color was a grayed jade with cream accents. She had never had a house before. Sure she had a place that was her home, but it wasn't a house. And now looking at this house, she felt…at a loss for words.

The man got out of the car and walked around to open the back door on the other side. Rey stepped out, followed by Ben. She thought it had been weird that he had been silent all this time. She felt nothing from him. Maybe he was just as entertained as she was, taking everything in. They both followed the man up the pathway to the house and up the steps of the front porch. Rey saw, written next to the door where an address should be instead read 'Rey & Ben.'

"Here are the keys to your house." The man extended his hand, dangling a set of keys in it. Rey looked to Ben, who looked to her, and so she took the keys from the man.

"Insert the key there, just under the doorknob, and then twist it until it clicks. Then remove the keys and turn the doorknob to open the door," the man instructed her to do. Rey followed exactly what that man had told her. She successfully opened the door and they walked into their home.

The man walked them through a tour of their house. It was an open floor plan. He pointed to the living room and then walked them through the kitchen. He pointed to appliances in the kitchen, naming each, but none of it made any sense to Rey. They walked across from the kitchen to the dining area. It was all furnished. Next he showed them to their room, what he called the 'master suite.' There was only one bed. It looked gorgeous and so comfortable, but there was only one. She started to panic, just thinking about it. Would they? _No_ …they couldn't possibly.

There was another room in the house, but the door to it was closed and the man didn't bother opening it to show them. He just called it the second bedroom. Lastly, he showed them the bathroom. Surprisingly it was very similar to bathrooms she was already familiar with. They finished the tour back in the living room. The man walked over to a bookcase, took one book and handed it to Ben. _Actual books!_ Rey had never seen so many books in her life. She looked at the book Ben now held in his hand. He didn't seemed phased by it.

"This is the manual to your home. It'll probably come in handy the most when you use the kitchen for the first few times. Oh! And the television. It can tell you how to work that. There's also a map in there as well."

Then the man went over to the coffee table in the living room and grabbed a tablet that was sitting on it. "This has your schedules in it." He handed this one to Rey. "You'll receive a new schedule everyday. The schedule is just a suggestion, but we highly recommend you follow it for the best results. You each have watches, so keep track of the time on them." They both look down at the watches on their wrists. Rey had completely forgotten that she was wearing it. It had looked so antique and strange when she first put it on, but being here, it fit right in with everything else in this town.

The man then looked around like he's done a job well done. "Right well, I'll leave you to it." The man nods at them and then swiftly exits their home, leaving them alone.

* * *

* * *

_I rage, but perhaps I will come of age and be ready for you._

* * *


	4. The Young One

### Summary:

Rey and Ben experience the first day of their honeymoon together.

* * *

They stood there in the living room for a bit unsure of what to do next. Rey eyed the tablet, wondering what the schedule contained for them.

_16:30 Go to the Bank_  
_17:00 Go to the Bike Store_  
_18:00 Cooking lessons at home_

_20:00 Bedtime*_

_*This time is suggested for the young one._

The schedule looked incomplete. There seemed to be a lot of time unaccounted for. And _the young one?_ Did that mean herself? She was younger than Ben, by how many years she didn’t know. But why should that mean that she had to go to bed at an earlier time. She would have to figure that one out later.

Ben took a seat down on the couch. He was being eerily quiet. It was a lot to process, being here on their honeymoon. Alone at last.

Rey checked her watch. It was 15:11.

"We should go to the bank, then the bike store. Do you have the map?" Rey asked Ben.

He opened the manual to the page where the map was, studied it for a short time, closed it, set it down, and then abruptly got up.  
"It's not far from here." He walked towards the door, ready to head out. Rey set down the tablet and followed after him. It annoyed her for a bit that he wasn't telling her where they needed to go exactly. She would just have to trust him. This was good, for both of them. This honeymoon was about working together.

Together they walked on the sidewalks through the suburbs and into main street. Rey got a closer look at her surroundings. Most of the land was covered in freshly cut grass. The air was comfortably warm, with a slight breeze. The suburbs were compact. Maybe it was all the greenery that grew everywhere dividing the lots unintentionally, giving each home privacy. Everything felt so close and cluttered, but yet meticulously put.

The main street had less greenery than the suburbs. It was covered in red bricks on the buildings and walkways. The streets and sidewalks were wider here giving room for more people to pass. She couldn't tell who was a local or who was a visitor, except all had waved and greeted Rey and Ben when they passed them. Rey thought it was awkward at first but then she realized that maybe it must be a tradition of Earth, so that in this place you are encouraged to greet each other friendly.

Ben looked out of place with his overbearingly tall stature and stern attitude among the friendly faces that greeted him, which he never reciprocated. After the first few run-ins with others, Rey began to greet them back, for Ben's sake. He didn't refuse to greet them, he just couldn't. He was…he was _shy_ , is what Rey told herself. How long had he spent alone in a powerful position under Snoke, that he didn't undertake in simple common decencies.

At the bank they received some sort of card. They were instructed on how to use it and that they could buy things in only Model: Earth with the card. It was how people paid for things on the real planet Earth. Whatever money they spent here would be transferred into credits that they would have to pay upon departure in two weeks. 

Rey had no credits. She never had to worry about that on Jakku. What she scavenged, she either kept or sold for portions. She didn't like to think that she couldn't pay for herself. Nevertheless she would have to be at Ben's mercy.

On the way from the bank to the bike shop, Ben sensed Rey's inner turmoil. He thought about whether or not he should intervene. She was projecting to him, which he was sure she didn't know that she was. As gently as he could he grabbed her arm stopping them both on a sidewalk on main street. 

"Rey." She turned around, eyes darting from where he just grabbed her, up to his eyes. He quickly let go. "You're worried about the credits. Don't be."

She didn't have a response to him. She was flustered trying to figure out how he knew. He said it as a fact, that he was certain. But how? He walked on. Rey followed, trying to keep up pace with his long legs.

 _Don’t worry_. She heard him say to her. He was there at the corners of her mind. How hadn't she noticed before? She really needed to learn how to control her projections. She pushed gently at where she could feel him through the bond until he was no longer there.

The bike shop was full of many different bikes to choose from. The shopkeeper explained that the bikes weren't designed for speed but for leisure. Many of the bikes had baskets attached to the front to use for transporting goods if they'd like. The shopkeeper instructed them to choose a bike for themselves. Rey walked about the small shop browsing the bikes, as did Ben. She came across one that particularly stood out to her. It had a shiny yellow frame with a brown woven basket attached above the front wheel. She looked over to see that Ben had found one as well. He was holding it to his side carrying it to the counter. It was all matte black, with no basket attached anywhere. It fit his personality. 

The shopkeeper came over to help Rey carry her bike to the counter. At seeing this, Ben quickly rushed over and took the bike out the shopkeeper's hands a little violently and chivalrously carried it himself. It unnerved Rey that either man felt the need to carry her bike for her when she was more than capable of doing it herself. They paid for the bikes at the counter with the card given to them from the bank. 

"Now that you've purchased your bikes, it's time to learn how to ride them," The shopkeeper told them.

Rey would be first. She took her bike, by herself this time, outside onto Main Street. The shopkeeper showed her how to mount and ride it, taking off down the street and then shortly returning back to them. The shopkeeper helped Rey onto the bike, Ben watching distastefully. He pushed her along as she focused on pedaling. She tried to find her balance on the bike but it wasn't easy.

Then the shopkeeper abruptly let go of her bike. She became unstable and wobbly trying to steady the bike. She went straight until her balance failed her and she turned falling down to the ground as less messy as possible. She heard Ben snicker even from the distant that he was down the street. _No_. He was laughing!

"Shut up!" She yelled back at him. Truthfully she didn’t want him to shut up. His laughter was rare. It was amusing to be hearing his laughter for the first time. She double checked herself, making sure she wasn't projecting _that_ to him. Her apparent disapproval, only made him laugh harder. She could feel it through the force. He was projecting to her and it felt so damn good. His pure joy seeped into her. Ben was completely open and bare to her. He wanted her to know how much he relished in her failure. Rey only grew annoyed with him.

Not wanting to give into him she stalked over to where he was waiting with his bike. "Well, if you think it's so funny, why don't you try it," she challenged him.

Ben, never wanting to back down from a challenge, of course agreed to try it immediately. He walked his bike to the center of the road, and then without any assistance from the shopkeeper, with whom he held a secret grudge with, he mounted his bike. He lasted a good few seconds of wobbling around on his bike before he toppled over. Now it was Rey's turn to laugh uncontrollably. She let out the deepest laugh she could. She wanted him to feel how he made her felt. Ben threw his bike across the street with the force after he got back up and composed himself. The shopkeeper just stood there stunned unsure what to do.

"Your bike," Ben demanded, stalking over to Rey and reaching for her bike to take it before he even reached her.

"No. You ruined yours and you're not about to ruin mine." Rey stood in front of her bike defending it. Ben walked all the way up to her, squaring her up and down. Seeing her defiance, sparked something in him. _It turned him on._ Well, no, he couldn't admit that. He wouldn’t. It was weird, but yet it felt so right.

She heard some incoherent grunts come from him as he turned and walked back into the bike shop to retrieve another bike. The shop shopkeeper ran in after him, telling him to wait. Rey had a feeling Ben wouldn't listen. His rage was sparking… was it rage? She could definitely feel it, but it wasn't just rage igniting. There was… there was…focus. He was focused on proving himself to her. That he could in fact ride this ancient alien manual transport machine. He would _show_ her.

"Ben submerged from the bike shop with a brand new bike. This was one blue. The shopkeeper followed him out of the store, looking exhausted. Rey was relieved that Ben hadn't done something drastic to the man for just doing his job.

He took the bike out into the street, and this time carefully mounted the bike. Rey could feel he was pulling the force to help steady him. _Cheater._ He took off, wobbly at first, and then he became steady as he rode down the street.

"Ha!" He yelled in amusement.

Rey couldn't let him win. She followed him, pulling from the force to balance her on the bike as she mounted hers and gathered the courage to take off with no help. To her surprise, the bike stayed steady as she rode. Gaining confidence, she pedaled faster to catch up to Ben.

"Well, look who took two bikes to learn to ride just one!" She rode in closer to him so that they were riding side by side. He didn't reply. He just gave her a smirk as he speed past her.

They rode like that around Main Street. Rey hadn't realized how many shops there were on Main Street. There was even a clinic and school. She wondered why there would be a school in the town. Maybe it was for the locals who worked the Model: Earth upkeep. They rode from Main Street to the Country, and from the Country into the Suburbs.

She felt so free riding with Ben. The wind hitting her face, the speed; it all felt exhilarating. She let herself relax and open herself up to the bond to find that Ben was also open. The two of them cycled around the small town together as the sun was beginning to set in the distance, blues, pinks, and orange covered the sky. Rey could feel Ben unconfined and truly at peace. She had never felt such a feeling from him before. 

They arrived back home just in time for their cooking lessons that was scheduled for them. There was woman waiting outside their door. They parked their bikes on the curb, following the example of their fellow neighbors. The pinks and oranges now disappearing from the sky, and the temperature was dropping. Twilight was over and night was approaching.

The woman at the door greeting them and followed them inside their home. She carried large bags over to the kitchen counter, set them down and took many things out. They watched as she set down what appeared to be ingredients for tonight's meal.

"As your first night here, and as a sort of orientation I will give you a cooking lesson. This will help you get familiar with the kitchen and using the ingredients of Earth. I've also brought along with me a cookbook full of recipes for you to make. I will leave it here for you." She set the book down on the counter with a pat. Rey was amazed how often books were used here. Books seemed to be a major part of the culture of Earth. It felt like a nuisance however because they had a book for the house and now a book for food. It was too many things to keep track of.

"Tonight, we're making pizza, a classic Earth specialty." The cook pulled out two small silver bowls and handed one to each Rey and Ben. "I've already prepared the dough, as it takes quite a bit of time to rise and you're probably too hungry to wait another hour or so." 

Together Rey and Ben both looked down into their bowls. Inside was the dough ready for them to use.

"First, before we can start anything, we all need to wash our hands." The cook waited on them as they both went to the sink to wash their hands.

"Ben can you preheat the oven to 475. And Rey can you find two round medium sized pans."

Ben looked around the kitchen, unsure which appliance was the oven. The cook, not wanting to wait, pointed in the direction of the oven to help him. Once he found the oven, it wasn’t hard to operate. It had a screen with easy to understand labels and directions. He set the temperature to 475. Meanwhile Rey went around the kitchen checking every cabinet and drawer for round pans, until she finally found them in a bottom cabinet with all the other pans and pots.

"Next, unwrap your bowl, and before you touch the dough you'll want to dust your hands with flour." The cook handed them a package with 'flour' labeled on it. Ben took the package and opened it.

"Don't do that!" Rey swatted away at Ben's hand that was about to reach in and directly take flour from the package. "Here, let me help you." She picked up the package from him and carefully held it over his hands, sprinkling some flour over them. Ben wanted to protest that he didn't need her help, but he let her help him. He watched as she concentrated on not overpouring too much flour. It was a small thing for her to do, but it felt kind and so gentle, being cared for by her. 

After Rey helped Ben with the flour, she proceeded to pour her own. Ben had thought to help her, but he couldn't. It wasn't that he didn't want to, he did want to. He just didn't know how.

"Good. Now take out your dough and place it on your pan and then spread it out evenly. You should start from the center and work your way out."

Simultaneously Rey and Ben reached for their own dough.

"Ah!" Ben cried out in disgust once touching his dough.

"It's not that bad," Rey told him as she picked up her own dough. It was a bit disgusting, slimy from the oils covering it, warm, and sticky. She placed it down on the pan and began spreading it as evenly as she possibly could. Ben followed her example. He had never really cooked before in his life. He had studied food preparation in case he was ever in a situation where he did have to feed himself, but he never needed to use that information. He had always been in the care of someone else, his parents, his uncle, the First Order. 

Rey, however, probably had much more experience with cooking and feeding herself, he assumed. She had grown up alone. _Had anyone ever cared for her?_ He felt hurt just thinking about how Rey had been abandoned and left truly alone. Even though he had been cared for, Ben always felt alone, but he was never truly alone, not like Rey. She wouldn't have to be alone like that ever again. She had him. And even when they'd be alone physically, they could never be completely alone, the force bond would make sure of that.

"After you're satisfied that you've spread the dough out evenly, next measure a spoonful of olive oil and pour it onto the dough and then spread it out using the back of the spoon." The cook handed each of them a spoon and pushed a bottle of olive oil towards them. Ben nudge the bottle towards Rey, so that she could go first. He did it as a kind gesture, but also because he didn't want to make a fool out of himself anymore. He couldn’t cook, he realized.

"Now it's time for the toppings. First, spread tomato sauce as your base, followed by a layer of shredded cheese, then select any and how many toppings you'd like." The cook spread out a bunch of ingredients across the counter. All of the ingredients were labeled. Ben looked at the assortment, unsure of were to start. 

"Go on," Rey said. This time she was waiting for him to start. Had she felt his insecurity? Maybe she was just being kind back to him.

 _Okay, what had the lady said to do first? Tomato sauce! Yes!_

Ben slowly and carefully poured the tomato sauce over the dough using the same technique they had used for the olive oil. Rey seemingly pleased with what he had done, took the tomato sauce can from him and poured her own in the same fashion. Next was the cheese. He looked around the counter for the one labeled cheese, took it and scattered it around his pizza. This time he handed the cheese over the Rey. She didn’t say anything when she took the cheese from him. She felt the gesture was significant though. He was trying and she recognized that.

After they finished applying the toppings to their pizzas and had put them in the oven to cook, the cook had helped them cleaned up and then left.

"Pizza," Ben practiced saying. They were sitting at the dining table waiting for the timer to go off to take the pizzas out of the oven.

"Pizzaaaa!" Rey repeated after him with more enthusiasm. "It smells good." She could smell the pizza cooking in the oven. She hadn't realized how hungry she had grown. The last time she ate had to be on Ben's ship when he brought her food. That had been hours ago.

Ben was hungry too. He hadn’t realized just how long ago they had eaten. His stomach grew restless and he felt embarrassed if Rey had heard.

"Pizzaaaa," Ben said, copying Rey's exaggeration on the end vowel, but in a much less enthusiastic way.

When the timer went off on the oven, Ben and Rey both slipped on an oven mitt, recommended by the cook to wear. They took their pizza's out of the oven and set them on the stove top with no difficulties.

"Wow," Ben looked at his pizza satisfied.

Rey had never seen such delicious food before. She had grown so used to eating portions, that she never experienced fresh food. She grabbed an edge of her pizza's crust to try it.

"Hot!" She screamed in pain.

"We have to wait. That lady said at least five minutes for the pizzas to cool," Ben warned her.

Rey didn't listen. She found a knife and began cutting her pizza with it, learning that it was bad to use her hands. "I don't care, I'm hungry now."

He should have gotten angry with her, but he found it endearing watching her hungrily taking her slice and begin eating it before she even set it down on her plate. It must have been really hot, but she truly didn't seem to care. Instead of waiting too, he did the same as Rey. He took a slice and began eating it. They stood in the kitchen over the oven eating their pizza like savages. 

"This is good," he admitted.

Rey smiled at him. She was a mess. Her mouth covered in pizza sauce as she devoured her pizza. Ben found it revolting but at the same time kind of cute.

"What?" Rey asked. He hadn't noticed that he had stopped eating, and was just watching her.

"Nothing." He took back to his pizza eating it, not looking back at Rey even though he really wanted to. She was cute.

A knock came on their door. Ben looked to Rey who looked to him, unsure what to do. They weren't expecting anyone. At least the schedule said that they were expecting anyone. In fact, the schedule had nothing planned for this time. Ben instinctively went for his lightsaber that was no longer there. He saw Rey do that same taking a defensive pose.

The door opened anyways. A different lady entered this time. Rey relaxed, not feeling a threat, as did Ben.

"Come on," the lady walked into the home slowly, she seemed to be carrying some extra weight around her legs. She tugged at whatever what was holding her down.

A child appeared from behind the lady. The child seemed shy and meek. It was a girl who appeared to be of five years old. Rey couldn't see the child's face. Dark wavy hair fell down around her face, covering it as her head was facing down. The child wore similar clothes to Rey and Ben with dark jean pants, and thick lavender knit top.

"I'm so sorry we're so late. Usually children arrive when you arrive. But when we found out that you had been expedited, we were scrambling our very best to get her prepared for you." She petted the child's hair standing next to her, the child still facing down.

Rey and Ben were shocked. Neither knew what to say or how to react. They just stood there.

"They're always shy in the beginning until they imprint." The lady knelt down in front of the child, and tried to lift her chin to look at her, but the child refused.

"Naia," she said as this grabbed the child's attention. Naia looked into her caregivers eyes at the mention of her name. "You're home. Your parents are waiting for you. Go say hello."

Naia looked past her caregiver's shoulder to view Rey and Ben, standing in the kitchen frozen. Realization hit the both of them. Their mutual emotion connecting them through the bond.

Neither had bothered to pay attention since they arrived. Rey had assumed the families that she saw in town were locals. Ben pointed out to her that even their neighbors had children, passing visions of couples walking around with a child and the people next door having three bikes parked out front. Rey shot the scene from Coruscant back at him. Hadn't the man helping him said something? _Challenging the most difficult parts of a relationship by learning to work together-_ . Ben had cut him off. _To work together as a family_ , is probably what he would have said.

No wonder it was deemed interactive. They would literally be immersed in family life, taking on roles as parents and learning to work together. If they could survive this, then maybe they could survive anything. It made sense that it was the most well reviewed and desired plan. A true test of a relationship. 

Naia left her caregiver's side and cautiously walked over to where Rey and Ben were standing. Ben pulled himself out their connection in the force, isolating his emotions from her. Naia approached him first. Ben looked down at the little girl uncomfortably and unsure what to do with this sudden confrontation.

"To imprint, just say your name," the caregiver told him.

Briefly, he struggled on whether to say Kylo Ren like he was used to. "Ben Solo." It sounded more like a question than a statement. At hearing Ben's name, the little girl's eyes opened wide. She looked at Ben with recognition and familiarity. All of a sudden, she knew who he was. 

"Papa!" She called excitedly as she stepped forward and wrapped her tiny arms around Ben's legs. She squeezed tightly, as Ben just stood there awkwardly. He looked to Rey scared. _Help me_ , as though he said. She didn't know what she could do to help him and so she watched the little girl desperately hugging him and him looking terrified. It was kind of funny. She felt herself grinning at the scene she was witnessing. Ben shot her daggers. 

"Now, you next." The caregiver had come over to them. She tapped Naia's shoulder and gently nudged her towards Rey. Naia looked at Rey, unrecognizable. 

Rey suddenly felt nervous. It was her turn. "Rey," she said. Rey saw the girl's eyes widen bright in realization.

"Mama!" She reached up for Rey.

Rey picked the girl up in her arm and held her on her hips. Naia seemingly pleased with Rey, hugged Rey, and leaned her head on Rey's shoulder. 

"Oh…" Rey was shocked, never having any experience with young children, she awkwardly stood there as the girl snuggled into her. It was comforting in a way, that this child was so trusting and innocent. Naia knew them, and not just as people but as her parents. How was it possible that they were her parents?

Naia stopped hugging Rey and sat back in Rey's embrace to view her mama's face.

"Mama?" She asked as she cupped Rey's face with her tiny hands.

The child's face was so close to hers now. Rey was looking into eyes so similar to her own, facial characteristics so like her own. She could see now that the child's thick dark long wavy hair reminded her of Ben's color and texture.

Naia twisted her face, and squeezed her hands against Rey's cheeks, squishing them.

"Hi," was all Rey could think to say. Naia wasn't impressed, she wiggled in her mama's arms to break free and Rey willfully set her down.

"How is this possible?" Ben asked.

"Don't you know?" the caregiver was met with blank stares from both Rey and Ben. "She's a realistic child droid. We used your DNA to sequence the DNA of an offspring and from that we were able to sculpt and predict what your offspring would grow to look like. The technology is highly illegal, but the IMM was granted special permission for this very plan."

Rey didn't believe her, but how could she not. The truth was right in front of them.

"Well, I have to go now. Everything you need to know about taking care of Naia is in your manual or schedule." The woman waved goodbye to the child and left.

It felt like the three of them were just standing there for quite some time. Naia fidgeted waiting for her parents to do something. She went over to grab the schedule tablet and handed it to Rey like it was the most logical thing to.

"Here."

Right. Rey looked at the schedule again.

_20:00 Naia's Bedtime_  
_(please put her to sleep)_

_Looking ahead for tomorrow;_

_7:00 Wake up_

The schedule had been slightly changed and a few things were added to it. She noted the wake up time for tomorrow. She handed the schedule over to Ben.

"You can take care of it," he motioned to the child standing there patiently.

"What? No. This is…this is a _team_ responsibility. We do it together."

"I don't know how to do…" he pointed at the child droid, "that."

"You think I do? I-"

"Stop!!" Naia yelled, cutting Rey off. She seemed angry but more hurt by their words, on the verge of crying.

"Oh no," Rey said. The child had been listening to them.

Naia sniffled and then very quickly tears started falling down her face. They had hurt her feelings. Ben was shocked more so at the fact that the droid could cry.

Rey trying her best to follow her motherly instincts , knelt down in front of Naia. "I'm sorry. We didn't mean that." She rubbed the girl's arms reassuringly. That seemed to calm her down just a bit, but it wasn't enough.

"Ben!?" Rey whispered over her shoulder, tilting her head in a gesture for him to come over. Ben came and knelt down to join them. "Don't you have something to say?" She hinted.

He knew what he should say, but it just felt foolish to say it. He didn't mean it. What he had said was true, but maybe he had said it too harshly. He was sorry for that. He didn't mean to hurt the child's feelings or make her cry.

"I'm sorry," he said to Rey's disbelief.

At hearing this, Naia calmed down completely. She hugged the both of them, one arm reaching around Rey's neck and the other around Ben's, bringing them all close together in an embrace. They felt like a family, and they probably even looked like a family embracing on their living room floor. This child loved them and truly believed them to be her parents. They would have to start acting more like it.

* * *

* * *

_My hands are shaking from holding so tight for so long._

* * *


	5. Couple's Sport

### Summary:

Rey and Ben learn a new sport and compete against each other.

* * *

Ben was laying on the bed in their bedroom, waiting on Rey who was putting the child to sleep. Naia had specifically requested Rey's assistance. When Rey had suggested that they settle down for bed, the child had protested, "No, I want just mama to do it!" Ben had been rejected by the child. He had the feeling that she wasn't completely satisfied with his apology. Had he not sounded sincere enough when he said sorry?

He was a little hurt that he hadn't been included in bedtime, even though he told himself he didn't care. So he went to their bedroom and laid down on the bed and waited. He wondered about the child. It was a droid, but it looked and acted so real. That kind of technology was dangerous. How did the IMM get approved to use it? The company must have strong ties across the galaxy. Maybe, even the IMM deal with other illegal activity.

He listened carefully to try to hear into the room across from theirs. It turned out that the closed door that the tour guide hadn't showed them earlier was a room designed for Naia. Her room was sprinkled in pale pinks and purples. There were many toys scattered about, all in an arranged disorganized manner and in the corner of the room sat a small bed fit for a small being.

The door to her room was open now, along with door to theirs. He could hear Rey's voice, quiet and soft. She was telling some sort of story. He impulsively wanted to peer into their bond to get a better understanding of what she was saying, but he didn't. He shouldn't abuse their bond. As much as he wanted to get to know Rey, he'd rather it be on her terms. He was already imperfect to her. If he wanted to change how she saw him, he would have to be patient. The bond had brought them together, and continues to do so, growing stronger the more time they spend together.

And so he laid there, listening to the soft sounds of Rey's voice in the other room. He didn't know when it happened, but he drifted off to sleep, still completely clothed on the bed. The strange day he had had all fell into a blur and darkness. Had it really happened? Was it just a dream?

He awoke several hours later in the middle of the night. It was dark, all of the lights had been turned off. Momentarily he was confused. He couldn't recognize his surroundings. It hadn't been a dream. He was still here in the bedroom of their home on Model: Earth. He sat up looking for Rey. She wasn’t there, not on the bed. He could feel her near though. She must be asleep somewhere else.

Ben swung his legs over the side of the bed, untucked his shirt and began unbuttoning it. He looked around the room for a place to put his soiled shirt not wanting to just leave it anywhere. He liked a clean place. He turned around and spotted a hamper on the other side of the bed. He tried throwing it, but missed the hamper as the shirt fell just short of it. In annoyance he got up from the bed and walked around the perimeter. When he got to the other side he nearly had a heart attack at what he almost stumbled into.

On the floor was Rey sound asleep. She had taken a pillow from the bed and lay curled up on the carpet. She had changed her clothes. Ben tiptoed back not wanting to wake her. What a sight she would see if she were to wake up now. Ben was shirtless, almost standing over her. She didn't stir. He thought that she must be cold with no blanket. He could leave her as is, but he got an idea. Rey had been alone her whole life and he promised himself that she would never have to be alone again. She didn't have to be the only one looking out for herself. So he very carefully took the comforter from the bed and slowly draped it over her.

Feeling prideful with the sight of her tucked under the blanket he had just given her, he went back to the other side of the bed, forgetting the shirt he had originally came to retrieve. He finished undressing himself completely, leaving only his undergarments and hopped into bed. Since he had given the blanket to Rey he was left with only some thin sheets. He didn't mind. He was usually a hot sleeper. He pulled the sheets over his shoulders and closed his eyes drifting back into sleep. He thought of Rey as he dosed off. Her curled up body sleeping on the floor. It warmed him knowing that she could sleep comfortably now that he given her a blanket.

He had felt guilty that she had to be the one on the floor. She shouldn't be there. It should be him on the floor. He thought of a scenario in his head when he had stayed awake to see Rey after she put Naia to bed. She would come back into the room. Probably refuse to share a bed with him. He would chivalrously choose to take the floor while she could have the bed. That’s how it would go. He was sure.

An alarm abruptly woke the both of them. It wasn't glaringly loud, but loud enough to alert them. Rey shot up from the floor, throwing the blanket off. Briefly she wondered when and how that got there. She checked the time; it was 7:00. She looked over to Ben who had urgently woken and was unsteadily walking over from the other side of the bed. His chest bare and then she realized that he wasn't wearing any clothes actually, besides his undergarment briefs. The material was thin and clinging around his hips. Rey could see a bit more than she wanted to see.

She quickly looked away embarrassed at herself and brought her focus back to the alarm. She ran out of the bedroom following the sound, but also trying to avoid Ben while he was like _that_. In the living room she noticed that the sound was coming from the tablet. The tablet alarm turned off when she picked it up and the day's schedule appeared on the screen.

 _Good morning!_ It read at the top.

Again she saw that schedule wasn't one hundred complete. There were chunks of unaccounted time. They had to drop Naia off at school in an hour and then head to the gym for couple's sport.

She felt Ben approach from behind.

"It was the tablet," she said as she turned around to face him. Her gaze going from his eyes down. _Oh_. For a second she had forgotten his state of undress. His bare chest was only a foot from her. "Um, we should get ready." Rey hastily handed the tablet to Ben looking away from him and going into the bathroom.

Ben hadn't noticed that he wasn't really wearing anything until he saw Rey's eyes travel down from his eyes. He saw her face turn red and flustered as she quickly left him. He reveled in her reaction.

He read the schedule for the day. His eyes lingering on the "couples sport" and "date night" entries. It was weird to think of them as a couple. They were on a honeymoon so that did have certain implications. He just forgot in his awaken haze. It would take some time getting used to.

In the bathroom he heard the shower turn on. Naia stumbled out of her bedroom just then, seemingly unaware of the commotion.

_What was it that his parents used to greet him with in the mornings?_

"Good morning," he said as he remembered the words. It felt strange using such words he had only been familiar with from his childhood. Words that his father would say to him. _Would he become like the father he killed?_

"Morning papa," Naia said as she wiped her eyes and padded over towards him. "I'm hungry." She looked up to Ben expectantly. She looked so much like Rey, in the eyes especially.

"What do you want to eat?" He asked her. She just shrugged in reply. Right. He was the parent. He went into the kitchen, while Naia went over and took a seat at the table. Ben browsed the recipe book that the cook left from the night before. He found the section labeled 'breakfast' and looked for the simplest thing.

Cereal. Two minutes preparation, two ingredients, one bowl, one spoon.

Perfect. He gathered two bowls and two spoons and set them on the table, one each for Naia and him. Then he found the milk and cereal and took it over to the table. He sat down across from the girl, poured cereal into her bowl and then his, followed by the milk. Naia watched patiently the whole time and when he was finished she immediately began to eat, not waiting for him. He observed her and chuckled noticing that she ate similarly to Rey. Maybe he was just imagining it. He wondered how they programmed the personality into the droid and how she was able to even eat food. He heard of droids that could eat, but it was rare and pointless technology.

He decided not to question it any further and began eating his cereal too. He started to feel a little chilly and forgot that he was still in just briefs. The child didn't seem to notice. However Ben was growing uncomfortable sitting on the chair practically naked.

He heard the shower turn off. That meant Rey was about to come out. He wanted to put something on before he saw her again.

"Be right back," he told Naia as he got up from the table and ran into the bedroom. His clothes from yesterday were sprawled in different places in the room. He needed something clean. He opened the closet. On the door of the closet were two white robes. He took one and wrapped it around his body. This will do for now. Trying to hurry back to the table he ran out of the bedroom and unexpectedly ran into Rey.

"Oh!" He said stepping back. Rey was wrapped in a towel, water dripping from her hair.

"Sorry!" She said as she swiftly stepped to the side and quickly passed right by him.

He went back to the table. Naia was pouring more cereal into her bowl. He sat down just looking into his cereal bowl, replaying the scene that just happened. In his efforts to avoid Rey he ran directly into her and she was wearing only a towel! She had smelt good from the soaps.

"Your cereal is getting soggy!" Naia pointed out to him, breaking his train of thought.

"No, your cereal is getting soggy," he mocked.

"No it's not. I just poured more," she said while eating a big spoonful.

Ben ate his cereal, which in fact did turn soggy. For Naia's amusement he made a disgusting face. She giggled at him. Ben found himself giggling as well. It felt contagious. Giggling at something so silly only made it more funny. In return the girl's giggles grew louder.

At that moment Rey entered. She was dressed in another assortment of Earth's traditional clothing. Her hair still wet but more so damp now. She eyed the both of them suspiciously. She wondered what could be so funny.

"Rey." Ben stopped laughing seeing that Rey was there. She seemed out of place. "Take a seat," he said as he stood up. Rey sat down at the table next to Naia.

"What's so funny?" She asked the girl, while brushing her dark wild bed hair out of her face.

"Papa," Naia snorted through her cereal.

Ben brought over a bowl and spoon and set it down in front of Rey. He then poured some cereal into her bowl, followed by milk. He sat back down at the table and continued eating. Naia abruptly got up from the table, after finishing her milk by drinking straight from the bowl. She ran off she and informed her parents that she was going to go play.

Now it was just Rey and Ben sitting at the table.

"You and Naia are getting along," Rey said.

"She's a cute kid," he admitted.

"Well she is _our_ kid. Even if she is a droid, her facial construction was made with our DNA."

Rey was right. If Rey and Ben had a child it would look like Naia. It was kind of twisted how the IMM probably designed it this way to help couples form a bond with their droid. The time Ben spent with Naia didn't feel like he was talking to a droid. Naia was intelligent, sensitive, empathetic, and expressive. She acted like a real child. Her technology amazed him. The child was alluring, and it was because of her likeness to the both of them, but also because of her lifelikeness. Naia resembled a younger Rey, but with some of Ben's resemblance.

They were running late to school. Rey had underestimated the time it would take for them to walk to the school. Naia didn't have a bike yet so they couldn't ride there. But it wasn't all Rey's fault. After breakfast, instead of getting ready himself, Ben had been trapped by the child who wanted his help in getting dressed. She had disapproved of every outfit he put together. He caught on a little too late that she was only messing with him however.

Rey then took over so that Ben could shower and dress himself. Rey excitedly wanted to style Naia's hair similar to her own, in three linear buns. She sat patiently as she let Rey do her hair. When Rey was finished, it surprised Rey at how much Naia looked like her now that her hair was done like her own.

Naia held onto to Rey's hand securely as they were walking fast to school. A few other families had past them on bikes. Rey was sure they would be the last ones. No one else was walking.

They made it to school as the bell rung announcing that it was 9:00 and school was starting. A teacher greeted them with a smile, even though they were late.

"Name?" The teacher asked, pointing to the child.

"Naia," Rey said.

"Last name?"

"Naia…uhh..-"

"Solo. Naia Solo," Ben cut in.

The teacher checked her attendance list and then directed Naia to a classroom.

Rey waved goodbye to Naia as she walked away. She thought she saw Ben wave goodbye as well but she wasn't entirely sure.

Since they had dropped Naia off late, they had less time to make it to the gym. They walked in a hurry to get there.

Couple's sport was split into three sections. The first was to learn how to play the sport and practice, the second was to then challenge each other in one-on-one matches, and the last was to compete together against another couple. It sounded simple enough. Today, however they would only focus on sections one and two.

In the women's locker room, Rey found a locker with her name on it. Inside were gym clothes just for her. It was a simple mesh shirt and airy shorts. After she had changed, she met up with Ben who was also wearing similar clothes and together they were ushered into a small gym. The small gym was narrow with wood floors and tall blank walls, small windows flanking the ceiling. On one end of the room on the wall hung a backboard with a hoop attacked to it. There was also one on the wall on the other end of the room.

"The game is basketball," the trainer said. He then went to take an orange ball off a rack in the corner and began dribbling. While continuing to dribble the ball, he ran down to the hoop and toss the ball up to it, the ball hit the backboard and fell into the hoop gracefully.

They started with stretching and warming up. From there their trainer had them toss a ball back and forth to each other. Then he had them do it again but this time as they ran parallel up and down the court. They had to concentrate and focus on throwing the ball to where the other would be and not where they were.

The trainer stopped them and had them each take a ball to practice dribbling. It was difficult at first trying to keep the ball at a steady height. You didn't want to apply too much pressure because the ball would bounce back higher, or too little and it would bounce back lower. You had to apply the right amount of pressure so that the ball would bounce back at the same height every time. At first they practiced stationary dribbling, then they moved onto walking and dribbling. Finally when they had gotten the hang of it, they moved onto running and dribbling. That was a true test of control. The ball could easily fly out of your grasp so it was best to keep it as low as possible.

After dribbling, they moved onto stationary shooting around the hoop. The key was to hit the ball at the square on the backboard for it to fall into the hoop. Ben was exceptionally talented at this part. He could throw the ball to the hoop at such ease because of his height, whereas Rey had to work a little harder to throw the ball higher. When their trainer was satisfied that they could shoot stationary, he showed them a maneuver that he called a "lay-up" and had them try.

Rey found this the most challenging and disorienting. Having to combine the dribbling and running and maintaining the ball so she wouldn't lose control and then making sure not to travel upon reaching the hoop and jumping up to throw the ball. This particular maneuver required skill and time to master it. Even Ben was struggling to make his lay-up.

Next to test what they had just learned, their trainer introduced them to a game of one-on-one. They would only be using half of the court. The offensive goal was to get the ball into the hoop, the defensive goal was to take the ball from the offense so that you then become the offense. From where you threw the ball on court determined how many points you would get.

The trainer stood them both at half court. He tossed a coin to decide who begins offense. Ben choose the side of the coin that was heads up and so he got to go first. He received the ball and held it with both hands. Rey was in front of him, in defense.

"Ready?" He asked her.

"Always," Rey said with determination. She saw a hint of a smile on Ben's face. She became momentarily distracted in his gaze and his smile, and it took her a second to register that he had taken off. He headed straight towards the hoop and stopped a few feet away and took a shot. Just as the ball left his hands Rey came out of nowhere and intercepted. Throwing the ball off the court. Ben was shocked. He stood there with his jaw open in disbelief. He hadn't seen her coming just like she hadn't seen him dash.

She ran after the ball catching it and dribbling it back around to the outermost rim on the floor. It was the three-point line. Ben followed in defense, eager to get the ball back. Rey was quicker than he was and she used that her advantage. Her best offensive move would be to do a lay-up, giving him little chance of trying to steal the ball from her. But her lay-ups weren't good. She would have to hope that the ball makes it in the hoop. Rey closed her eyes and completed her lay-up throwing the ball and aiming for the square on the backboard.

"Two points for Rey!" The trainer called from the sidelines.

Rey opened her eyes in disbelief. She had made the shot! Ben caught the rebound and was dribbling back to the clearing point. There wasn't time to celebrate. She ran back over taking a defensive stance in front of him.

"Beginner's luck," he smirked.

"We'll see about that."

Rey stepped forward to block him more aggressively as he began to walk. He was thinking of his best way to get past her. He kept to the three point line pacing back and forth. Rey had her arms out, ready to block. He faked going right and then stepped back and went for the shot there. Rey had been tricked. The ball made it into the hoop earning Ben three points.

"Foul!" Rey cried out.

"What!? How?" Ben asked incredulously. He had played fair. The trainer had agreed that Ben had played fair and award him the three points much to Rey's chagrin.

The rest of their game continued as each of them grew more comfortable with handling the ball and the rules of the game. Ben would try to shoot a three-pointer, but it seemed that he only got lucky once in awhile. Rey was becoming increasingly better at lay-ups. Her agility allowed her to escape Ben's blocks. He, however, started picking up on her movements. Predicting when she would go in for a lay-up, he would then book it to the hoop and use his tall frame to block her from completing her lay-up. It wasn't a full proof plan but it worked sometimes.

Until, just as before, Rey had went in for a lay-up and Ben went to block her. Something went wrong. Rey had tried to jump up higher to escape his block. She lunged herself forward and up and Ben hadn't expected that and so he stood there with his hands up as she clashed right into him, sending them both falling back at the collision.

Rey fell onto Ben who hit the hard floor first. It felt like he had embraced her, wrapping his arms around her as they hit the ground together. She was so close to him, she could feel his heart beat fast against her chest and his breath in her face. For a brief moment she wanted to stay like this, her body pressed against his. Their competitive spirt of the game was turning into something else… _passion_?

Ben felt it too. He released her and she separated herself from him. They stood up as the trainer came running over to them asking if they were okay.

From then on, Rey found herself growing distracted with the thought of what had happened. When he would bump up against her, trying to block her moves, she would get flustered thinking back to his body flushed and against hers. He was hot and sweaty and when his skin touched her it sent waves through her like she had never felt before. She compared it to the force bond, but this was much more physical than that.

As the game went on, Ben stood closer whenever he was in defense. She had to keep one arm out, practically pushing him away while the other dribbled. Heat radiated between them and she drowned in it. They were in their own world. Everything else disappeared around them as they focused on the game. They could have gone on forever, both of them being wildy competitive.

They played 2 games. The first game ended at 10-11, with Ben winning. The second game ended at 8-12 with Rey winning. Their trainer was even afraid to step in to end their time. Rey was satisfied with the outcome, but Ben urged for another chance. They had both won one game. However that wasn't enough for Ben. If they played one more game then one would win two out of three games and be the true winner. The trainer pointed out that they were out of time.

The gym had showers were they could freshen up and change back into their original clothes. After the gym they both walked over to the café.

"I like basketball," Rey said breaking the silence as they walked.

"Well, you say that after you've finally won," Ben pointed out.

"Yes, but it was fun," she admitted as she smiled at him.

"It was fun." Ben agreed, returning a smile.

A couple walking in another direction, greeted them as they passed. Rey greeted them, looking away from Ben for just a moment. After they passed Rey looked back to Ben and his smile had vanished.

The café offered a menu of Earth's lunch recipes. Rey ordered a sandwich while Ben ordered a pasta dish. They ate in quiet. Ben had put his walls back up, for a reason Rey didn't know. His face was hard and unreadable. Had she done or said something wrong? She tried to reach out through the force but there was nothing.

They picked Naia up from school and took her to the park. There were many other families at the park as well. Naia went off to play. Ben and Rey watched her from the side like many of the other parents there.

"Hello!" Another couple approached them.

"I don't think we've met yet. Are you new here?" A man extended a hand out to Ben, who didn't take it.

"We are new," Rey said, cutting in.

"How do you like it?" The man asked.

"It's amazing isn't it?" A woman with him chimed in.

"Um, yeah. The droid children are a little weird though," Rey laughed nervously looking out into the park of children playing.

"It's not for everyone. You have to look pass that and see the children as real to get the true experience here."

"Won't you get attached?" Rey asked.

"We didn't know each other before our Honeymoon. We chose this plan because of the prospect that loving something together would help us love each other. And it worked. We were skeptical at first, but now we love our son that we've been given here. You have to let yourself open to the experience. It will be sad when we depart. However our time here has prepared us and showed us the possibilities of what life could be like together. We both know now what we want. " The woman squeezed her partner's arm.

Rey thought about that. As did Ben. The focus of this particular plan was being a family. They needed to immerse themselves in the experience and trust that things would work out. It wasn't easy, considering their backgrounds. Most couples probably weren't previous enemies fighting on opposite sides of a war. At least while they were here they should focus on the present. The war could wait.

At home they decided to make sandwiches for dinner, similar to the one Rey had at the café for lunch. They had all the ingredients already stocked in their kitchen. Even Naia asked to help them. They made an assembly line to prepare the sandwiches. Rey watched as Ben would help Naia spread mayonnaise over the bread. He was gentle with her. He would say or do little things that would make Naia giggle hysterically. Rey was a little jealous that he was somehow so good at this when he said he wasn't.

During dinner as they sat at the table, they talked about their day. Naia's day at school was uneventful, but she met many kids. She talked about who she liked and who she didn't. Then Rey talked about basketball. Naia seemed uninterested in basketball, no matter how much fun Rey said it was.

"Basketball is like this," Ben took a piece of bread from his sandwich and rolled it into a ball. "Open your mouth," he told Naia. She obediently opened her mouth and Ben threw the bread aiming for her mouth but he missed and hit her cheek.

"Again!" Naia laughed, handing the bread ball back to Ben. He threw it again, this time making the shot. Naia cheered as she ate the bread.

"Mama's turn!" Naia urged. Ben look to Rey and then back to the child who awaited eagerly. Not wanting to disappoint, he took another piece of bread and rolled it into a ball. He held it up before he threw it. Rey, wanting to be a part of the fun opened her mouth, ready for Ben. He threw the bread with precision. Rey caught it, eating it. Naia cheered and Rey couldn't help herself but also cheer.

"Papa's turn!!" Naia yelled.

"Let's do it together," Rey suggested. Naia agreed and they both took a piece of bread from their sandwiches and rolled them into balls. Ben readied himself with his mouth wide open ready to catch.

"On three." Rey counted down and together her and Naia threw their bread at Ben. Both of them missed his mouth completely. They all laughed together at how silly Ben had looked, mouth open, breading flying and hitting him in the face. They were having fun. Rey took in the scene, not wanting to forget this. In that moment, they felt like a family.

* * *

* * *

_Be more like the man you were made to be._

* * *


	6. Date Night

### Summary:

Rey and Ben go on their "first" date.

* * *

That night Naia requested that only Ben put her to sleep. It wasn't a competition for her affection however he felt a small sense of victory. He had spent the day befriending the child and she easily became attached to him. Maybe he too was growing attached to her. 

Naia was easy to entertain surprisingly because she reminded him of himself when he was younger. She had his sense of humor. Ben pulled from memories he had with his parents to use as material with her. He had become so entrapped in Snoke's delusions that he had forgotten that he had had good memories with his parents. He came from a family that loved him and that was the truth.

At some point in his life he knew how to love others back, but he lost that. He no longer allowed himself to love, thinking it was a weakness. But Rey had proven that wrong. He didn't want to believe that he loved her, but he did love her even if he didn't know her, even if it had only been such a short time. The force bond connecting them was fate and what they felt through it couldn't be denied. He had closed himself off from love for so long that he didn't recognize when it came. 

However, he perceived it now. When they were at the table eating dinner and throwing bread balls at each other, he felt it then. In this place, with Rey and Naia he could just be himself. He was open to the possibilities of love and it felt good. It felt so good to be loved and give love. It gave him strength, not weakness. He felt strong with his family. Not his parents, not their family. But _his_ family with Rey and Naia. It didn't matter that Naia was a droid. Naia was a concept; a concept that he would fight for. 

Ben squeezed himself onto the tiny bed with Naia, book in hand. She had picked out some children's book for him to read. He was a bit nervous about reading it to her, he didn’t know why. Naia snuggle into Ben on the small bed. He opened the book and began reading the story. Naia listened carefully and followed along with each page and picture. The more he read, the more comfortable he became. He read the story, becoming interested in the plot and adding voices to the characters.

He kept reading not noticing that Naia had drifted off to sleep until he finished. She was sound asleep nuzzled in next to him. She was warm like a real child. It amazed him. He slowly and carefully eased himself out the bed. She didn't wake. He tucked the blankets over her and kissed her forehead. It was something that even surprised himself. He never thought of himself as nurturing but yet instincts like this would kick in and take over.

After he turned the lights off in Naia's room and left the door slightly ajar, he joined Rey in the living room. She was sitting on the couch, pretending to read through the house manual. 

"You're really good with her," Rey said, setting down the manual and looking up at him.

Ben went to sit next to her. "You think so?"

"Oh yeah. She adores you." Rey was quiet for a while, hesitant to say what she wanted to say next. "How do you do it?"

He didn't understand how he did either. It just came easy for him. He had examples from his childhood to pull from, but Rey…she didn't. _Oh._

"Before I…" He trailed off, trying to chose his words carefully. "Before I trained to become a Jedi…" That was probably when it began he thought. When his life was simpler, and he lived with his parents and no one feared the force growing inside him yet. "My parents were very loving. I won't deny that." He struggled to continue. Talking about his past, especially that part of his past that he recently wanted so bad to forget, and the wounds of his father wasn't easy for him. But he wanted Rey to know, even if it hurt to talk about it.

Rey didn't know what answer she was going to get, but it wasn’t that. She didn't need him to say any more. She knew it was hard for him and she understood what he meant anyway. He had experience what a family was suppose to be like. She envied him in that aspect.

Ben never wanted to openly talk about his past. He avoided it, and even got angry if she even tried to bring it up, but now he was sharing. Rey felt privy to knowing more about him. Even if it was just a little. She pictured Ben at Naia's age with Han and Leia. Then he was probably just an ordinary child, not yet corrupted by Snoke's influence. She hated Snoke and what he had done to Ben. She was glad that he was dead.

Just then an alert went off from the tablet, surprising the both of them. Ben picked it up and read it, "Date night reminder. Head to the bar." His face turned red. How could he have forgotten. Date night. Isn't this what he had wanted though. A chance to be alone with Rey. A date with Rey.

"Date night?" Rey said horrified. 

The bar was very similar to the various dive bars scattered throughout the galaxy. The music played softly in the background, filling the space. The lights were dimmed. The room had one central bar lining one side, two bartenders behind it, and tables were arranged on the other side. This bar, however was covered in the same red brick that the buildings around Main Street all had. There weren't any aliens either like a galactic dive bar would have. Just humans. Maybe four or so other couples were out on date nights as well. 

"Where do you want to sit? Bar or table?" Ben asked Rey. 

"Umm…" She scanned the room unsure of which to choose from. The tables looked too out in the open. She preferred a place away from everyone. "The bar."

Ben lead the way over to two empty seats at the bar. 

"Welcome to Jupiter's," a friendly bartender greeted them with menus.

Ben quickly looked through the menu. He knew what he usually liked to drink, and was surprised that they even served it here. It appeared they served both a variety of things not only from Earth. Ben scanned the menu, unsure what Rey liked. He assumed that she wasn't much of a drinker. 

"We'll try the Earth course," Ben ordered for the both of them. The Earth course was a selection of three authentic drinks and appetizers of Earth. That was probably enough for them.

The bartender came back with two small shot glasses, a cut lime, and salt. "This is a traditional tequila shot," he said as he went on to explain how to take the shot. It involved three steps. First they had to lick their hand, the nook between the thumb and forefinger. Then they could apply salt to it so that it would stick. When they were ready, they would then lick the salt off their hand, drink the shot and then bite into lime. 

Ben took his shot easily, whereas Rey struggled with the actual tequila part. Maybe she had tasted it too much instead of letting it just roll down her throat. She start choking before she could bite her lime, making the alcohol taste linger in her mouth and burn. When she finally bit into the lime she sucked on it, letting it soothe and dissipate the taste of the alcohol. 

"I take it that you're not much of a drinker?" Ben asked. 

"No," she said as she set the lime down, wiping her mouth. Somehow she had made a mess of the tequila in her attempt to drink it.

"French fries, and beer." The bartender set down their next drinks and the fries. 

They sat quietly eating the fries and sipping the beer. Rey could feel the alcohol hitting her hard, burning her stomach and numbing her limbs already. A sudden confidence was growing in her. She watched as Ben took a sip of his beer. He was looking anywhere but at her, which she thought was strange. 

"You're nervous," Rey blurted out. 

"It's our first date," Ben said as he looked her in her eyes. His expression mirrored that sinister voice of a time way back when he had told her that she was his guest whilst being his prisoner.

"Our first date," she echoed after him. She hadn’t really thought of it like that. Rey had never gone on a date before. She sipped her beer, adverting her eyes. 

"Or our second date?" he suggested.

"Then when was the first date?" Rey bought her gaze back to his.

"Allow me to show you?"

He didn't wait for an answer. Rey felt him in the force bond as it began to open up between them. It had been over a day since she felt the comfort of their bond. She missed it and so had he. They let the force of their bond fill their core. Ben was there, in her mind but also in her heart. Their bond was growing stronger as neither of them fought it. 

A vision of them ran through her thoughts. It was the time from when they reached out through the bond and touched hands. Except this time she was seeing it from Ben's perspective and emotions. She was watching herself through his eyes. She felt the intimacy that he felt in that moment. He wouldn't do this for anyone else. He wouldn't allow himself to be so vulnerable for anyone else. 

Maybe that was a date. They had come together and for the first time and they had a real conversation. There was no name calling or taunts. There was no aggression. Their conversation ending in unspoken words and a touch of hands. It was definitely a date. 

The vision began to dissipate along with the bond. Rey found herself holding onto it momentarily, but ultimately letting it go.

"Alright, it's our second date," Rey smiled at him. She could really feel the alcohol hitting her system now. She ate the fries, finding herself hungry. There was something that been bothering her all day. She wasn't going to bring it up, but her newfound relaxed confidence from the alcohol gave her the courage.

"Ben?" She asked. "Thank you for the blanket last night. You didn't have to."

"No I didn't," he paused. "But I wanted to."

The bartender brought them their last drinks. This is one he called "wine." It was red and in a glass with a stem. He also brought them a small plate of cheeses, meat, and some type of fruit, which he called a charcuterie board. The food looked delicious but Rey wasn't sure she could drink anymore. Ben sipped his wine.

"You always talk like that," she said while eating some cheese. "But I wanted to. You're nothing, but not to me," she said in her best Ben impression. "Don't get me wrong. I love the honesty, but you need some work on the delivery."

"My delivery isn't good?"

"No."

"What would you suggest I do?"

Rey feeling carefree and confidence said, "Well, what does that mean; you're nothing, but not to me? I think it's your strange way of telling me that you care about me, that you have feelings for me. That you like me." She pointed to him. 

Ben didn't respond. Instead he changed the subject. "Are you going to drink that?" He asked, gesturing to her untouched wine glass. 

"I don't think I can drink anymore. You can have it." She slid the glass to him. 

"You're a bit of a lightweight," he teased.

Rey swayed in her seat. Ben still looked composed and sober. How was he not as inebriated as her?

"Wait, you didn't answer my question!"

"You're right." He took her glass of wine and downed it in one gulp. 

Rey lingered on whether he meant she was right that he didn't answer her question, or that she was right at what she thought he meant. It frustrated her that he could be so aloof but yet so purposeful.

"Alright folks, it's closing hour at Jupiter's, and you know what that means. Stand up, clear out the tables and make some room," the bartender announced over an intercom. 

Listening, everyone including Rey and Ben stood up and helped clear tables and chairs to the side of the room. Rey hadn't noticed that more people had entered the bar. She wondered if they were all visitors like herself and Ben, or were some of them locals. Whatever was about to happen looked like a crowd favorite from the anticipating faces. They stood in the open space with everyone, not sure what was next. 

Loud music began to play and all of the people around began to cheer and dance. The music was upbeat and lively. Rey felt the beat tremble down to her bones. Without hesitation she shook her limbs in various sporadic movements. She was dancing! She felt carefree as she let the music lead her. The crowd around them moved in unison to the song, except one tall dark figure. Rey had momentarily forgotten he was there. What a sight she must be for him now.

Ben stood there looking uncomfortable. Had he ever danced in his life? She couldn't picture it, but she sure did want to see him try. 

"Come on!" Rey grabbed his wrists and flailed them up in the air, moving them side to side trying to elicit something. He just stood there reluctantly. She dropped his limp wrists, wishing that he would let loose, but understanding that she couldn’t coerce him. She could encourage him, but ultimately it would have to be his choice. 

Ben watched as Rey danced. There was a lot of jumping up and down during the upbeat parts of the song, and when she tired of that she would sway side to side and used her hands and arms to dance. She had rhythm. It was cute. _She_ was cute. He smiled as he looked on at her. She seemed so happily inebriated. 

He was starting to feel the effects of the alcohol too. How much had he drank? A tequila shot, one beer, and two glasses of wine, one which Rey had given him. That tequila shot was strong, even for him. He wasn’t much of a drinker, but he did enjoy a drink every now and then. Especially on those days when the Supreme Leader would torture him. Drinking would ease his pain both physically and mentally. It was a dangerous routine though. He didn’t want to come to depend on alcohol to ease his pain, especially when he was becoming increasingly in pain all the time. 

Tonight, however, he was drinking for fun. He had never experienced drinking socially like this before, so he felt himself tense instead of at ease in the flow. Rey was having a blast. He kept thinking about how cute she looked. Her face was becoming a little flushed from dancing. He took a deep breath, preparing himself for what he was about to do. He shouldn't be so terrified, but the thought of dancing, especially in front of others, might be his worst fear. 

He started with a head nod. He listened to the beat to match the pace of his nod. Next he needed to loosen up. He shook his arms loose to ease the nervous tension in them and began to sway them awkwardly at his side. He wasn't as brave as Rey, who moved in such wild ways. He took a step out and stepped back in and continued this sort of dance. He probably looked stiff as a board, but he was trying. Dancing, in thought didn't seem so hard, but putting it into action felt impossible. This stepping sway would have to do.

"Oh!" Rey saw Ben attempting to dance. She froze in shock. "Is that Ben Solo I see dancing?!" The biggest smile, he'd ever seen her make, appeared across her face.

She came closer to him as she started to mirror his movements. He thought that she might have tried to mock his dancing skills, but she seemed to be utterly enjoying herself. The more he danced with Rey the more he began to loosen up, putting his hands up and waving them around like Rey had done.

Just when he was enjoying himself and really getting into the music, the song ended. The next song that started to play had a much slower tune. The people around settled down in pairs and danced close together. Rey and Ben stood there on the floor, the only couple who wasn't slow dancing now.

Ben instinctively panicked, but brushed it off. He had a new sense of invincibility. Copying the way he saw the others dancing around them, he stepped closer to Rey and took one of her hands in his, the other wrapping around her waist. Rey unhesitant, followed him, laying her other hand on his broad shoulder. Ben noticed that their stance was quite wide compared to the others. He envied their intimacy. He snaked his hand from Rey's waist to the small of her back, drawing her in closer. Her hand that was on his shoulder wrapped around his upper back now. Their faces were inches apart as he looked down at her. He assumed she would protest, but she didn't. She looked in awe.

To his surprise, Rey turned her head away and rested it on him. He lay his head gently on hers. Her soft hair brushing up against his cheeks. She smelt like shampoo; the same one he had also used that morning.

They swayed back and forth on the floor in that embrace. Rey felt at home in his arms. Even in her drunken state, she couldn't deny it. She _loved_ him. She could stay like this, with him forever. When she forgot about the galaxy they were temporarily vacationing from, she imagined that Ben and herself could be happy together. They could have a happily ever after. She deserved that. Ben deserved that.

The song ended all too fast. A much faster upbeat song played and the people around them changed pace. Rey held onto Ben, not wanting to let go of this moment. He was fine staying like this as well, but he wished for more privacy. The people around them were loud and their movements fast.

"You want to get out of here?" He whispered in her ear.

She nodded.

He took her hand and lead her out of the noisy bar and into the silence of the Main Street. The air was crisp and cool. Old fashioned lamp posts dimly lit the road. He walked them to the park in the middle of the plaza.

Rey thought that this was going to be the moment. This was going to be their first kiss. She hadn't anticipated it to be so soon, but her guard was down and his was as well. She wondered what it would feel like. She didn't have much experience, or any actually.

A million things were going through Ben's head. He had never been so sure of something in his life. He wanted Rey and he didn't want to let her go. What would happen to them after the honeymoon? Rey seemed hellbent on rejoining the Resistance and he couldn't exactly join her. He didn't want to leave her when all this was over. He couldn't.

When would they marry? That wasn't something they could forget about either. At some point they would have to marry; they were under contract. He felt stupid that he even joined the IMM propaganda.

Unlike Rey, he wasn't required to participate. As he got older and more in deep in the First Order and Snoke's business, he feared that he would grow old and crotchety. He didn't want to be like that. Call it his "father's heart" but Ben didn't want to end up alone. He wanted a partner, someone who would stick with him no matter what. And so in his loneliness he secretly signed up and payed the high fee to enter the IMM superficial arranged marriage service. That way he could find someone who couldn't leave him.

Then he met Rey, and for once in his life he found an equal. From the start he was intrigued with her, the scavenger. She was untrained but just as powerful as him. It scared him, not just her power but the feeling she awoke in him. And then the IMM engaged them.

He wondered if somehow him and Rey were fated. Even if the IMM wasn't involved, he still would have met her and maybe they still would somehow, someway be together. Even the force was working for them! They were suppose to be together, and so Ben struggled thinking of ways they could make it work after the honeymoon. If he couldn't go with Rey, then Rey would have to come with him. They couldn't be together on opposite sides, instead they would have to make their own side. He had to make her see reason. If he lost her…he couldn't bare to think of it.

"Rey," he stopped walking.

She looked at him expectantly. 

"It's time to let old things die. The Sith, the Jedi, the Rebels. Let it all die. After this is over, I want you to join me. We can rule together and bring a new order to the galaxy."

Her face dropped. This isn't how she thought this moment was going to go. How could he think that she wanted to bring a new order? How could he even think that she wanted to rule anything? Just when she thought he would turn from his ways, he had to go and say this.

"Don't do this, Ben." She let go of his hand and stepped back. "Please don't go this way."

"No, no," he raised his voice. " You're still holding on. Let go!" He yelled at her.

Rey felt her heart break, anger in her chest and tears in her eyes. Ben stepped closer reaching for her hand, but in her frustration, Rey also reached out and without thinking she pushed him away with all the force in her. Ben went flying back in the air and landed on the other side of the park. She gasped, certainly not meaning for that to happen.

One second Ben was right next to her and the next he had been thrown across the park. He landed with a thud on the grass. Pain shot up through his body. It took him a moment before registering that Rey had used the force to push him away. She had rejected him in such a harsh way and then projecting him across the park.

He felt himself sobered from the throw. He got up as Rey was running towards him.

"I, I didn't mean to-"

"No, it was my fault. I shouldn't have raised my voice at you." Ben began walking out of the park and towards the street that would take him home. He needed to cool down. Rey followed behind him in silence. He felt foolish to think that Rey would even want to join him after he yelled at her. _Why did he yell?_ He knew why. It frustrated him that Rey was so insistence on being a part of this story. Why couldn't they just run away from it all! He hated himself for lashing out so easily, but he hated it more that Rey wouldn't listen to him.

Once home, Ben felt his head cleared from the walk. He was calm now, even though he had some resentment against Rey for rejecting him. She was apprehensive. All that had conspired between them in the past few days had suddenly been thrown out the window and she found herself back at square one.

"What are you doing?" Rey asked Ben. He had quietly gone over to Naia's door and took a peak in.

Ben was annoyed that she would talk to him after what happened. He needed time. He looked into the child's room. Naia was still sound asleep. The sight of the small girl undisturbed and so peaceful had calmed any frustrations that was welling back up in him.

"I was checking on Naia. She's still asleep." He slowly closed her door leaving it slightly ajar and walked over to their bedroom.

"You're such a caring father," she said. She meant it as a way of lightening up the mood, but it somehow came out like a ridicule.

"Rey, not now," Ben conceded. He took a pillow from the bed, and a sheet and threw them on the ground. He then began to undress, not caring if Rey was bashfully looking. He stripped down to his undergarments and then laid down on the ground with the pillow and sheet and went to bed.

* * *

* * *

_Lend me your hand and we'll conquer them all. But lend me your heart and I'll just let you fall._

* * *


	7. The Second Vision

### Summary:

Rey and Ben are presented with a second vision that gives them more insight about their intertwined fate.

* * *

Rey was awoken by someone climbing into bed with her. She went frigid at first, thinking it was Ben, but the weight was light. She turned around and opened her eyes. The small child crawled across the bed and got under the blankets next to Rey. 

"Why is papa on the floor?" She yawned as she lay her head down.

"Because Ben– papa, was being naughty," she told Naia in quiet secrecy, not wanting Ben to hear her refer to him as _papa_. 

The sun was rising through the curtains, so Rey knew it wasn't too early in the morning, however it was earlier than the alarm that the tablet would set off.

"I'm hungry." Naia sat up from the bed. She stood up and walked across the mattress. Ben was still asleep on the floor. She looked down at him from her height. "Papa?"

Ben stirred but he didn't wake up. 

Naia, displeased that he was still sleeping, got a devilish idea. Rey watched in horror as the small child flung herself off of the bed. Rey tried reaching out to grab her, but she was too slow in response. Naia landed on a sleeping Ben who awoke in surprise and let out a loud grunt. 

"Wake up!" Naia shook him playfully. 

"Ok. Ok!" Ben was awake now. Rey had feared that he would lash out on the girl. Maybe it was his drowsy state, but he didn't get angry. Not even a little. Instead he got up, put on the same robe from yesterday and lead Naia in the kitchen to feed her. 

They seemed to fall into a sort of routine. Ben would feed Naia while Rey got ready. Rey would then get Naia dressed and her hair done while Ben got ready. There would be some shenanigans from the girl making them laugh. It was a good routine. 

Their schedule for today was simple. Rey was relieved to see that there was no "date night." It looked like today's activities mirrored that of yesterdays, except after they would pick Naia up from school, they would attend a town wide family event. She looked forward to that. Having Naia was nice and fun and all, but they hadn't really done anything with her. And everyone was always mentioning to immerse themselves in the experience. Today would be the first time they did something as a family. 

They got Naia to school on time today. Rey felt a sense of community among the other parents dropping their kids off. She wondered what the children did at school. They were droids, but even she was forgetting that now. Maybe school for them was like maintenance time. A droid functioning with that much technology must require some amount of upkeep. 

After they dropped Naia off they headed over to the gym for their second session of couples sport. Rey was skeptical about it. Ben and her hadn't spoken a direct word to each other all morning. Today during their second session of basketball, instead of opposing each other, they would oppose another couple. That meant that they would have to work together and communicate if they wanted to win.

Rey had changed her clothes and joined Ben on the basketball court. Their opponents were already there and warming up. Ben took a ball and began practicing his shots while disregarding Rey. There was definitely some unresolved tension between them. Rey looked over at the other couple. They were working together and practicing maneuvers. They looked in sync and Rey envied them. 

If Rey and Ben worked together they could accomplish anything. That was evident when they battled in the throne room. They could easily be able to win this measly game of basketball. And yet, Rey didn’t have the confidence in them today. She took a ball of her own and practiced by herself. 

Two-on-two basketball was very similar to how they played one-on-one. They would be using half the court again. Their goal was to score fifteen points first. That was more than before. It shouldn't be hard considering there was two of them working towards the game goal. 

The other team won the coin toss, leaving Rey and Ben at a disadvantage. A few minutes into the game and they were already falling behind. It wasn't that the other team was better; they were mediocre at best, it was that Rey and Ben weren't playing together. Whenever Ben would get cornered by the other team. Rey would wave her hands open so that maybe he would pass to her, but he didn't. He would instead try to make the shot on his own and miss terribly. She grew irritated at him and in spite she began to hog the ball whenever she got the chance. 

They weren't getting ahead like this and the other team was picking up on their chaotic strategy. When either Rey or Ben had the ball they would get completely bombarded by the other team, making it almost impossible to shot or make a move. 

“Hey!” She called to Ben. She was growing tired of this. Ben was being bombarded on the other side of the court. She ran around to find an open space where he could sneak the ball to her. “Over here!” 

Ben looked over to her as he kept his aggressive stance, keeping the defense at bay. He saw that she was open, clear as day, he could easily pass to her if he would hurry up. Instead he ignored her, and decided to take the shot. Rey watched as the ball flew through the air. She couldn’t believe it. The ball was going to make it. Finally they would score their first point. However, the points didn’t matter to her anymore. 

In that moment, she was frustrated with Ben. She had thought that their little incident from last night was forgotten and resolved, but it clearly wasn’t. He was holding it in and so was she and they couldn’t get anywhere if they just ignored what happened last night. 

_She could have done anything, anything except push him away by throwing him with the force. Anything else would have been better. However, Rey let her anger get the best of her. She blamed it on the alcohol, but even if she had been sober maybe the same outcome would have happened._

_Ben was known for lashing out, and she knew that about him, but Rey also would lash out just like him. They were more similar than she wanted to admit. He was asking her to do something that he should have already known that she couldn’t commit to. And maybe in that moment she was hoping for something else to happen. So she was blind sided when he hit her with a proposal to rule a new order together._

_He had seemed fine after it happened, quiet but stewing. And even Rey had seemed fine. Yet they weren’t and it bothered her._

Just as the ball was about to drop into the basket. Rey reached out with the force, sending the ball, that was on track to make into the net and score their first point, flying in a completely different direction. She shouldn’t have felt so satisfied about it. 

Ben looked at the ball suddenly being thrown in a different direction and then back at Rey. She wasn’t trying to hide her guilt at all. She was even grinning.

“Rey!” Ben scowled. He pushed their oblivious opponents out of his way as he stalked over to her. “Why did you do that?” He fumed. 

Rey wished she had her lightsaber, something to defend herself. He wouldn’t hurt her, but that didn’t mean that he wouldn’t fight her…and maybe that’s what they needed to do was fight it out. 

She felt the urge to provoke him even more. “Do what?” She asked innocently. 

“I had the shot.” He gestured to the hoop. 

“Are you sure?” She egged on. She couldn’t help but find this funny, the grin on her face growing wider. 

“I saw it,” he seethed. Ben stepped toward her as she stepped back. 

She took hold of the basketball across the floor with the force and threw it at Ben. He flung the ball away before it could hit him. He began purposely walking up to her now. Rey reached out with the force and again threw the ball back at him. This time, instead of reflecting the ball, he used the force to freeze it in place just a few feet from hitting him. 

Rey was out of luck. She had nothing left to stop him. It honestly was a hopeless cause to even try to use the ball to stop him. She knew that, but it gave her pleasure in egging him on. 

Ben was closing in on her. In a last ditch effort she extended her hand to try to free the frozen basketball that was stuck in midair. When he finally approached her, he grabbed her wrist to stop her efforts. “Is this funny to you?” _Oh he was angry._

“No.” She shook her wrist free and he let her go. Her demeanor changed feeling the heat and rage boil up in Ben. He was projecting his feelings to her, and she felt a rage of her own beginning to ignite, no longer finding this amusing. “You wouldn’t pass the ball to me,” she accused him. 

“So what you decide to just take it. That’s not how it works, Rey. We’re on the same team.”

“We’re on the same team? That’s funny, because you sure weren’t playing like we are.”

“Uh… do you guys need a timeout?” The referee on the sidelines hesitantly interrupted. Neither Ben or Rey had noticed that the referee or their opponents stood in shock at the scene they were causing. 

“Yes,” Ben said through gritted teeth, without taking his eyes off Rey’s. He glared down at her. How could Rey entice such a temper in him and desire at the same time. She was infuriating.

“A word?” Ben whispered to her in a constrained calmer manner. He motioned to the other side of the court, the half they hadn’t been playing on. He walked over there, the frozen basketball midair dropped behind him. Rey unquestionably followed. 

Now that they were out of anyone's earshot, they could talk in private.

“We could win if you would just work with me,” Rey coaxed.

“Is that what this about?”

“Yeah.” She didn’t know why, but hesitated answering him and he caught on.

“You’re upset about something else as well,” he searched her face. Rey felt betrayed by her feelings. “Is it about last night?”

“You asked me to rule a new order with you! How could you think I’d want that?”

“Have you even thought about…” Ben struggled to come up with the right term. What were they exactly? _Friends? Lovers?_ “Us…after this?”

“I have–”

“And what else are we suppose to do?” He cut in. 

Ben paused, composing himself. He didn’t want to yell. In a much quieter voice, he leaned in closer to her like he was about to tell her a secret, “We don’t have to start a new order if that’s what you want. We can–” 

“Hey, sorry to interrupt but we’ve got a game to finish.” The man from the other team approached them nervously. 

Ben didn’t finish what he had to say. Now wasn’t the time for such a serious discussion anyways. “We’ll talk later.”

Rey nodded and headed back to their game. 

Ben and Rey worked together as a team from then on. They fell in tune with each other immediately now that the tension had dissipated. Wherever one needed the other to be, they would be there. Soon they surpassed their opponents. It was much easier now that they were working together as one team. 

The game felt like a nuisance to Rey, however. She would much rather finish the conversation that her and Ben were having. She wanted to know what Ben was going to say. She wanted to hurry and get the game over with so that they could talk. His words ran through her mind over and over. _We don’t have to start a new order if that’s what you want._

They ended up winning the game to their opponents' surprise. The couple was kind about their loss, however, and invited them out for a victory lunch. Rey declined as did Ben, both wanting some privacy. They decided to head home after the gym and make lunch there. There was still a few hours left until school was done. 

“I’m sorry I pushed you with the force.” Rey decided to break the silence as they sat and ate pasta in their dining room. Ben had prepared the pasta and Rey had watched with a little admiration. Seeing Ben do such domestic things, solidified what she wanted to believed in him; that he wasn’t all bad, he was still a person.

“No, I…I deserved that.” Ben laughed nervously. She was glad to see that he wasn’t angry with her anymore. He paused, his tone becoming more serious. “Listen, Rey I want you to know this.” Since last night, Ben had plenty of time to think about what he wanted to say to Rey the next time. His first try was unsuccessful. He said the wrong things in the wrong way at the wrong time. However, now he sure of what he had to say to make her understand.

“I want this to work. I want us to work. I’m willing to make compromises. So I will not return to the First Order after this. Rey, my allegiance is to you.”

He might as well say it. Say that he loved her. Isn’t that what he was doing, a love confession, a proposal. She felt unprepared for it. He was willing to make sacrifices so that they could be together, but what was she willing to sacrifice in return? Was she being selfish for wanting to go back to the Resistance? Maybe he was right when he told her that she was holding on to things that she needed to let go. 

Unsure of how to respond to such a declaration, Rey opted for silence. She carefully reached her hand across the table and took Ben’s to hold it. Both were surprised when they felt a slight shock run through them. It was similar to the feeling they felt when they first touched hands through the bond on Ahch-to. _Recognition_. Just like before they were met with a glimpse of their intertwined fate.

Rey saw a glimpse of Ben embracing her. He held her tightly close to him. She stroked his hair. Then Ben, ever so gently tugged at Rey’s chin bringing her lips to his. 

She was the first to let her hand go. Had he seen what she saw? She hoped not. She couldn’t believe it. The last time she had a vision with him, it had come true in a way. This one…this one felt certain. It would happen just as she saw.

“I…uh. We better get going.” Rey hastily got up and cleaned her plate.

“What did you see back there?” Ben asked as they were walking to pick Naia up from school. 

Rey was mortified that he would ask about it. “What did you see?” Instead of answering, she shot the same question back at him.

“I saw you kiss me,” he smirked. 

“What?! No, no, no. _You_ kissed me.” She stopped walking. 

“That’s not what I saw.” Ben kept going ahead. 

Rey stood there in disbelief for a few moments. What she had seen was different from what he had seen, but there was one thing they saw that was in common. She jogged ahead to catch back up with Ben.

“Whatever we saw, was subjective. It’s like before. When we touched hands through the bond, it showed us different things but the outcome was the same.”

“It showed you that I was going to turn, and it showed me that you were going to turn. In the end it didn’t matter who turned because that wasn’t the point…”Ben said, understanding.

“Exactly. The bond showed us an outcome, that we would join together, but we interpreted it differently.”

“Why does it happen? Why sometimes are we presented with a vision?” Ben pondered. 

Rey thinking out loud said, “Last time, we were at an impasse, but as our force bond grew stronger so did our relationship. However that wasn’t enough. The force has a fate planned for us. In order to progress we needed to be presented with something convincing.”

“Like kissing?” Ben suggested. 

Rey rolled her eyes. She was trying to be logical about all of this, and so was he. Sometimes she thought Ben didn’t really ever think about the words he said and how he said them. 

“Uh, yes. So the force had presented us with the outcome of ‘turning’ and joining each other and that did happen. You dethroned Snoke and I stood with you. We left together. So now…”

“Now, we progress.”

“We progress,” she agreed. Progression meant that what they had just seen, the vision of them kissing would come true. As far as Rey knew, there was no way to stop a vision coming true once it had been cast. They were going to kiss. It was inevitable. Outwardly she may have been embarrassed about it, even disgusted, but ever since that time when they were on the elevator in such close corners, she had noticed how supple his lips were. She had wanted to kiss him then. 

“When do you think it's going to happen?” Ben perused.

“I am not kissing you.” She more told herself than Ben.

“We’ll see,” he said in confidence. 

They approached Main Street to discover that it had been transformed. The park where Rey had force thrown Ben the night before was now a popup carnival. A musical tune played throughout the park. Everything was colorful and lit in bright neon. They walked around it, not going through, taking the sidewalk next to the buildings. It was barren of guests at the moment. Many people were on their way to the school to pick up their child. 

When Naia came out from school she ran up and hugged Rey. It was like she hadn’t seen her in a long time, even though it had only been half a day. Rey held the girl tight, embracing her. The child’s affection was growing on her and it no longer mattered if she was a droid. Right now, here in this place, she was Naia, her daughter. Ben looked fondly at the two of them. 

“Mr. and Mrs. Solo!” They heard a voice call for them from the doors of the school. It shocked both of them, to be address in such a way. They weren’t married yet. 

A teacher had run up to them. “Can I have a word with you?” 

They were ushered inside the school. Rey was still holding Naia. None of the other parents were being singled out. Something was wrong. They were taken into a classroom and sat down at a small table, made for the height of a five year old. Naia refused to let go of Rey and so she sat on her mama’s lap and dug her head in her mama’s shoulder. 

“There was an incident today at lunch,” the teacher began. “Nothing major, but we take discipline with the children very seriously here.”

“What happened?” Rey was curious to know. 

“Well, Naia threw food.”

Relief washed through Rey. She had assumed something terrible had happened. Naia dug her head further into Rey’s shoulder in shame. 

“Throwing food during meal time is bad manners, and I’m afraid it’s an offense. We are going to have to suspend Naia for a day. Maybe some time with her parents–“

“What?” Ben cut in, his tone verging on severe. “You’re suspending my daughter over something as trivial as throwing food?” Ben sounded like a true protective father. 

“Well, yes. The children must have respect–“

“Respect? They’re children! They’re–” Ben caught himself before he said something that would upset Naia. He was visibly agitated with the teacher. He had been insulted. Something primal in him instinctively wanted to defend his family, even if it was just over a simple misdemeanor like food throwing. 

“In all honesty, it’s not just a punishment for the child, it’s for you as well. Accept the experience. Be better examples for your child. Tomorrow Naia will join you in all of your activities.” The teacher got up and escorted them out of the school promptly.

Rey felt a shame like no other. Were they bad parents? She sat Naia down on the sidewalk and kneeled to her level. “Naia, why did you throw food?”

“I should go back in there and show them who they’re talking to!” Ben was fuming and pacing around them. 

“Ben would you calm down?” Rey asked him in annoyance. To her surprised, he listened and calmed. She asked Naia again. 

“I was playing basketball…” The girl adverted her eyes in fear of disapproval from her parents. 

“ _Oh_ ,” Rey grabbed the girl and hugged her. Of course she was playing basketball at lunch. The previous night at dinner it was Ben’s idea to introduce the concept of basketball with food. Rey hadn’t thought how it might be perceived as bad manners to throw food during meals, or even that the child would retain such a thing. 

“From now on, we only play basketball at home, ok?” She let go of Naia and wiped her small tears as she nodded back. 

“It’s our secret, kiddo.” Ben patted Naia's head affectionately. It was something his father often used to do to him when he was a young boy. He found comfort in such a simple gesture and so he thought Naia would feel the same. 

The carnival was in full motion by now. Many families had went there right after school. The sounds of laughter and screams now accompanied the music that the park emitted. It sounded like joy. They walked over and into the park. Naia held Ben’s hand in one, and Rey’s hand in the other. They looked like a real family unit amongst the crowd. 

There were many attractions to choose from. Rey had never seen anything like this and neither had Ben. They had wondered around the park until something caught Naia’s eyes and she dragged them over to it. It was the carousel. The young girl ran around the carousel finding the perfect animal to mount. She struggled trying to climb it and so Ben picked her up and sat her down on the saddle. 

“Are you just going to stand there?” Rey asked Ben as she mounted an animal of her own next to Naia. 

“I’m not getting on any of these.”

“What about this one papa?” Naia pointed to another animal on the other side of her. 

He was still a little bitter at the school for suspending Naia over something that was technically his fault. He wanted to make the girl happy. The way she would call him papa so effortlessly, like she hadn’t known him as anything but, was growing on him. At her request he, without a word, mounted the animal next to Naia. 

“Oh that is a sight to see,” Rey laughed. Ben looked so out of place, big and bulky riding on a saddle of an animal meant for a child. 

The ride began. The pace began slow and gradually sped up to a comfortable speed. Rey enjoyed seeing Naia in complete captivation, and Ben who seemingly looked like he wasn’t enjoying himself, but Rey could tell that he was. 

After the carousel Naia lead them on another ride, this one coined the teacups. Together they all got into a giant teacup and sat down and then the ride began. They swirled around in their teacup. Watching Naia’s face in pure joy brought joy to Rey herself. She let herself live in the moment and let go. Ben, however was still holding onto his facade. Every now and then she would see a look of surprise or enjoyment as the teacup whirled them around randomly. 

The sun was starting to set and the neon lights on the attractions really began to glow and lit up the carnival. They went on several other small attractions. Each time, Ben finding himself enjoying it a little more. It was one thing to be alone with Rey and their family in the confines of their home and let loose, but being out in public around so many people, he couldn’t help but have his guard up. However as the night went on, and there was no apparent threat or reason to be so guarded.

He took envy in how Rey adapted so easily. Her laughter was endless tonight. Ben desperately wanted to laugh with her. It was hard for him to be so carefree and just have fun in public. 

They approached a food stall and bought some traditional Earth carnival foods which consisted of “hot dogs” and “cotton candy.” The hot dog was surprisingly good but messy. The cotton candy was just the right amount of sweetness, but also messy. Ben had never indulged in such flavorful and messy foods before. 

After eating they went to a game stall to win Naia a toy of her request. The goal of the game was to throw rings and get them to land on a bottle. The more bottles you captured, the bigger the prize. And Naia, of course, wanted the biggest prize of them all, a giant stuffed animal. The game looked easy. Ben felt confident that he could land all of his rings on the bottles and win. He stood, posed and ready as Naia cheered him on. He threw the first ring and it landed on a bottle. The second, the third…all landed on bottles. And then when he threw the forth one so carelessly it hit the mouth of a bottle and bounced off. He had missed. His chances of getting the big prize were gone. He wanted to give up then, but he still had a few more rings to toss. 

He ended up missing a few other bottles and winning a small stuff toy in the shape of an Earthen animal, the koala. 

“That’s very cute,” Rey said as Ben received his prize from the vendor. He then handed the toy to Naia.

“Wait. I’m going to get you the biggest one,” Rey said to Naia. She took the toy from Ben and then set it upon his broad shoulder. “You can keep this one.”

She turned back to the booth. Rey was determined to win the biggest toy which meant getting all of her rings on the bottles. She was nervous. This game seemed deceitful because it looked so simple, and yet even Ben, the strongest man she knew, couldn’t win. 

She steadied herself and gathered the force within her. Maybe it was cheating, but no one would notice. Every ring she tossed landed on a bottle. Even the vendor was surprised, as it was rare to achieve such a victory. Rey received the biggest animal, a stuffed lion, from the display and handed it over to an excited Naia who jumped up and down.

“How did you do that?” Ben looked at Rey quizzically. He was insanely jealous that she won; it was unbelievable. Rey just shrugged and moved them along. They strolled around the park, having done most of the things there were to do. Naia had her big stuffed lion as she carried it on her back, and Ben held his small koala in his hand. She thought that he would have fought her about the koala; that it was wounding his masculinity, but Ben didn’t. He held it without a fight. She would like to have thought that maybe he actually liked it. 

It was getting late and people were beginning to leave. Naia didn’t want to leave just yet however and would have thrown a fit if Rey hadn’t suggest one last ride which the child settled for.

They decided on the Ferris wheel. It would be slow and relaxing, a good place to end the night. They boarded a cart and took off. Rey sat on one side of the cart, while Ben sat on the other with Naia. Naia had given Rey her stuff lion, that she named SoSo, so that Rey wouldn’t be all alone on her side. It was silly, but Rey felt comforted by the child’s actions. It reminded her that she wasn’t alone, and she wouldn’t have to be from now on. She had a family.

“I figured out how you did it,” Ben said. Little Naia was already falling asleep next to him, her head leaning on his lap. 

“Did what?” She asked innocently, although she had a feeling she knew what he was referring to.

“Beat the game. You used the force.”

“I may have…” She confessed. 

They sat in silence on the Ferris wheel. The sounds of the carnival faded as they slowly ascended around the top. She thought that Ben would have been mad at her for cheating and using the force in that way.

“My offer still stands, about teaching you the ways of the force,” Ben said gently. 

“Ok.”

“Ok?”

“Ok.”

“ _Ok._ ”

The walk home was quiet. Ben held Naia as she slept and Rey held onto both Soso and Ben’s koala. He felt at peace in this moment. The day had started off kind of bad. Rey and his relationship was strained. He didn’t think that they would end up having such a good day, but they did. He enjoyed every bit of the carnival, even though his face may not have shown it. It was the most fun he’d had in years. He thought that he enjoyed torturing and doing whatever he wanted, but that wasn’t fun. Not like this kind of fun. He did those things to suppress the light he always felt inside him. Giving into the darkness was like a drug. It felt good at the moment, but it was temporary and always left him feeling empty. He would be so tired at the end of a long day of dealing with senseless First Order business, and pressure from Snoke to be something he knew he could never be honestly.

This, however, could never leave him feeling empty, only full. Today had been successful, he thought. His relationship with Rey had progressed, whether it be from the vision they saw which was bound to happen, or that he had confessed such devotion to her. Either way, he was happy with how things were now. They were at balance. He felt at balance and it felt good. 

* * *

* * *

_When it's said and done, I am yours forever. Like I said, I'm done. I am yours forever._

* * *


	8. No Complications

### Summary:

Rey and Ben spend more time with Naia. Rey troubles over the meaning of the second vision.

* * *

Rey and Ben had bikes but never really used them. They decided it was time to get a bike for Naia since she would be spending the whole day with them. Naia was surprisingly quick to learn. They got her extra protection, a helmet and some knee and elbow pads, just in case, but she didn’t need them. Naia was fearless and strong. She continued to remind Ben of Rey. She felt so real sometimes, Ben forgot that she was even a droid. But wasn’t that the whole part of the experience? They needed to be immersed in it; believe in it and it would work. That was apparent last night. Both Rey and Ben had been immersed in the carnival experience, forgetting their previous selves and focusing on the then. 

Ben had truly felt happy. As they walked home and he carried Naia, he felt like his own father, when Han would carry him as a child. Ben should have been thankful that he even had parents and fond memories of them. Rey had nothing but abandonment. Even if she didn’t know what a family felt like, Ben would have never have known. She was a natural mother, a natural partner. Maybe it was because they did belong together, that it felt so natural. 

When they got home that night and Ben was about to lay Naia down in her bed she had woken up only to tell him that she wanted to sleep with them in their bed. Ben didn’t know how to tell her no. He knew it was wrong to spoil a child, and maybe spoiling her would only lead to more troubles and suspensions from school, but he didn’t care. It didn’t matter because he wanted to cherish his time here. 

He laid Naia down on their bed, which wasn’t really their bed as they both never slept in it at the same time. Rey changed Naia into her pajamas as the girl was still feinting asleep and tucked her into the bed. Ben had began preparing his bed on the floor when Naia called out for him. She had wanted him to join them in the bed. Rey hadn’t protested and so Ben climbed into bed with them. 

They laid across the bed peering at each other in the dark with Naia asleep between them. 

“She’s so fascinating,” Rey quietly said stroking the girl’s hair.

“She is,” Ben whispered back.

“I wish we could keep her.” Rey didn’t know why she said that. She knew they couldn’t keep Naia, she knew she wasn’t real, but she was growing attached to the girl that looked so much like herself but also like Ben.

“You know we can’t, but…” Ben paused. He debated whether or not if he should say what he wanted to say next. He had a tendency to think whatever he said sounded right, but once the words left this mouth, he realized that it was a mistake. He decided to say it anyways, “…we could always have our own Naia.”

“Ben!” She said a little too loudly immediately realizing what he meant. The girl stirred in her sleep between them but didn’t wake up.

“I’m just saying–“

“I know what you’re saying.” Rey cut him off. She turned away from him so that she wouldn’t have to look at his smug face, because she felt herself beginning to grin. She definitely didn’t want him to know that she found this topic amusing.

After some silence went by and they settled into bed, Ben nervously whispered to her, “Good night.” He wasn’t sure that she was even awake still.

“Night,” she said back. It was such a simple thing to say, and Rey had never had anyone to say it to, until now. She felt warmth in her heart and a belonging in her gut as she fell asleep.

Now they rode around the town with their bikes, all three of them. Today’s schedule was busy as usual, their first appointment wasn’t until mid morning however, and so they had some time to spare before then. Getting Naia a bike was a great idea. They could finally put their bikes to use. 

It was quiet out. All other kids were in school. Most couples were in various appointments, although some were out and about around town. By now it felt natural to greet them as they passed. Even Ben was greeting people now. That surprised her the most, out of everything that’s happened in the past few days. Ben looked happy and genuinely himself today. 

Yesterday had been quite a day of arguments, visions, and fun. They ended on a good note and for that Rey was grateful. Sleeping together as a family was interesting and comforting. Naia was a bit of a wild sleeper though. Sometimes Rey would get hit with a hand in her face or a knee in her back, but she didn’t mind.

Besides, waking up today, she felt their bond as a family had grown. By now, Ben had really settled into his role, as did she. They were finally embracing the experience. 

They made their way to their first appointment. It was at an art studio on the edge of Main Street. They would have a private lesson and the studio all to themselves, the shopkeeper informed them. Today’s lesson was pottery. They would learn to sculpt and mold clay into a mug, and then decorate it with paints. It sounded easy enough, but _oh_ was Rey wrong. And it wasn’t something she could just cheat her way through with the force. Pottery took skill and patience. It was completely hands on.

They were quiet as they focused on sculpting the mugs. The shopkeeper sat with Naia to help her. Rey peered over at Ben’s mug. He was working very diligently on his. His hands were steady and careful as he spun his mug around the wheel and gently cupped it. He looked like a natural artist. 

“You’re really talented,” she said to him. 

Ben just shrugged, looking at his mug critically. 

Rey focused back to her mug. It was lopsided and uneven. She was worried that if she tried to fix it, it might completely collapse and she’d have to start again. She stopped spinning the mug around and just frowned at it, unsure of how to proceed.

“It’s got character.” Ben looked at her misshaped mug fondly.

Rey smiled at her mug, suddenly gaining a better appreciation for it now from Ben’s comment. However, still she didn’t like. “You don’t have to say that. I know it’s not good.”

“Do you need help?” He offered.

“Um, yeah.” Rey fidgeted as she answered. Ben had sounded so kind, it took her by surprise and made her unknowingly nervous. 

Ben got up from his seat and scooted it to Rey. He sat back down behind her, and his arms wrapped around hers. He took her hands with his as they moved together cupping her mug. Gradually the shape began to straighten with Ben’s guidance. 

Rey had a hard time focusing though. Ben’s chest was pressed to her back, his knees next to hers, and his arms were wrapped around her. They were in very close proximity. She could feel his breath against her neck and it sent chills down her spine. That nervous feelings lingered as she was conscious of every movement she made, even her own breaths.

“You’ve got it.” Ben let go of her hands. Rey panicked because she hadn’t been paying attention at all. She had let him guide her hands as she sat there enjoying every bit of being in his arms. She hadn’t took any notes on how to improve her technique at all. 

He still sat behind her, watching her, and it took every bit of concentration in her to not make a mistake. But she was still nervous; her hand trembled a bit. She thought back to how Ben had held her hands around the mug, and not about her emotions or how he felt, but the way he did it. The mug’s shape had really improved. It was no longer lopsided and uneven. She stopped spinning it, and looked at it satisfied. 

“It’s perfect,” Ben softly said in her ear. His voice was warm and seductive, so close to her. She turned her head, keeping her body wrapped in his, so that she could see him. He was so near. _So near_. Her heart quickened. This was going to be the moment. This was going to be the second vision. 

Ben’s eyes glanced from hers down to her lips. She did the same. It felt like time had slowed down just for them. His lips enticed her and she forgot where she was. Ben was waiting for her. She in leaned in closer, her heart pulling her towards him. She couldn’t fight her emotions no matter how much she wanted to convince herself that she didn’t have these feelings for him. As she got closer to him she closed her eyes, as did he. Ben was anticipating a moment he had thought much about.

“Mama! Papa!” Naia had run over to them unaware that she was interrupting anything. They broke the trance that they had been in, leaning away from each other. 

“Look!” The girl excitedly pointed to where her finished mug sat on the table.

“Wow, looks really good.” Ben had gotten up and quickly composed himself. Naia took his hand and led him over to get a closer view of her handiwork. 

Rey stayed in her seat. She was in a bit of shock. She told herself she wouldn’t, that she _couldn’t_ allow herself to feel so strongly for Ben. Not when things were so complicated for them. Maybe things weren’t complicated at all. Maybe she was just making them complicated by overthinking. What would happen after their honeymoon wasn’t decided. Ben had pledged his allegiance to her. He was hers already, and he was just waiting for her patiently.

“Mama! Look!” Naia had came back over to Rey and shook her arm. The girl tugged on Rey’s hand, bringing her over to look at the mug she had made. It looked damn near perfect. She wondered how much the girl convinced the shopkeeper to help with it. 

“Beautiful,” Rey said. Naia beamed proudly at her mug. 

Now that all their mugs were finished, they handed them to the shopkeeper so that they could be fired in the kiln. Rey went to the sink to wash her hands. Ben went with her. He dipped his hands in the sink and she invited him as they washed their hands together. She should have been annoyed; with anyone else she would have, but it was Ben and she didn’t mind if he invaded her space. She liked these simple moments with Ben, doing mundane things together. 

“Rey?” They had been washing their hands for a bit longer than they should have been. She look at him at the sound of her name. His brows furrowed and he was thinking about something. He looked troubled, maybe even nervous. 

“Excuse me!” Naia pushed her way between them to access the sink, and again they were interrupted. Ben had abandoned whatever he was going to say to Rey and walked away from the sink. 

She desperately wanted to know what was on his mind. She thought about peering in through the bond, but they had some unspoken pact about abusing the bond like that. If it happened out of their control, that was ok, but if one used the bond to invade the other's privacy purposely, then that just seemed wrong. Emotional projection was something neither of them had yet mastered. Sometimes it just happened when one felt a strong emotion. 

After they cleaned up their mess in the art studio, they would have to come back a little later to paint their mugs before one last trip to the kiln. For now they were free to leave the art studio. They left their bikes there and walked over to the cafe across Main Street’s park. Rey found herself becoming used to holding Naia’s hand whenever they walked. 

At the cafe they enjoyed a simple lunch. Ben and Rey entertained Naia's many thoughts and ideas of nothing in particular. They hadn’t noticed how much the child could actually talk. She was a curious child, too inquisitive for a droid. She could eat, sleep, go to the bathroom. She seemed so real. Sometimes Rey would just look at her, amazed that she wasn’t real. Even Ben thought the same. 

“So what were you going to say earlier?” Rey hadn’t forgotten.

“Earlier?” Ben looked genuinely confused.

“Yeah. When we were washing our hands. It seemed like you had something on your mind.”

“Oh, that…” Ben retreated. Whatever it was, he no longer wanted to talk about it, at least not here. “We should get going.”

“We still have time before we have to head back to the art studio,” Rey said. 

“I saw a shop on our way here. Do you mind if we stop in?”

“Not at all.” 

They stood up from their table and Ben paid the bill. They walked around the park to a small store with a sign that read “clothing.” 

“Clothes?” Rey asked. “What do you need more clothes for? We already have some back at home.”

“These clothes?” He gestured to the clothes he was wearing. It was the traditional Earth clothes that consisted of jeans and a button down shirt of a neutral color. “I don’t think I can wear this any longer,” he admitted.

Rey thought he looked good in Earth clothes. She also thought he looked good in his Kylo Ren get up. Actually he just looked good in anything.

Inside the shop there were various other Earth clothes, they came in all sorts of colors unlike the default ones in their closet at home. Naia walked with Rey as she began to browse for herself. She personally liked the clothes that they already had at home. 

“I’m going to try these on.” Ben found Rey looking at children’s clothes with Naia. They followed him over to the changing rooms and sat down on a couch and waited for him. 

“Mama, do I have to go back to school tomorrow?” Naia asked.

“Yes.” Rey patted the child’s head. Naia seemed sadden to hear that she’d have to return to school. “Do you not want to go?”

Naia didn’t answer. She frowned and looked away, avoiding the subject. Rey thought it was strange that she didn’t want to talk about it. 

“Naia, what do you do at school?”

“Reading, writing, math…” It sounded like she was just reciting a list of subjects. “And…” Naia struggled to continue.

“And? What is it? You can tell me anything Naia.” Rey rubbed the girl’s back.

“Tests,” she said with disgust. “I don’t like the tests,” she confided. 

“Don’t worry. I won’t tell anyone.” Rey had worried for a second that maybe the school was bad. However, it sounded like normal school. And the tests were probably routine checks for the droids. It made sense the child didn’t like school. If she was a droid who was built specifically to behave as a child with the parents she imprinted on, it would make sense that anytime spent around unfamiliar people might be troublesome.

“This is much, much better.” Ben appeared from his changing room. He had put on black pants with a black button up shirt and a black vest. She liked that he choose to keep wearing the button up shirt. It really brought out the curvature of the muscles on his arms. The vest was also appealing on him. It was snug around his torso and accentuated his muscular chest. She agreed, it suited him much better.

“You look so cool!” Naia got up and went over to her papa to get a closer look at his new clothes. 

“So what do you think?” Ben directed the question at Rey.

“It’s…” What should she say. She wanted to say that he looked sexy. He really did. Since that incident back at the art studio she felt a desire build up in her. _Oh what the hell_. Hadn’t she told herself that she no longer needed to complicate things and hide her true feeling. “It’s sexy.”

Ben’s mouth dropped. That was the last thing he’d thought Rey would ever say. Her words excited him in ways he had never felt before. She enjoyed seeing his shocked face. There was something in the air today.

“What’s sexy?” Naia peered up at Ben.

Rey covered her hand with her mouth. She had forgotten they had an audience. She broke out in a sweat thinking about Naia returning to school tomorrow using that word. 

“It’s not a word you should use kiddo.” Ben tossed the girl’s hair playfully. 

“Why?”

“Well it’s a word for only adults,” Ben said. He felt another “why” coming from Naia as she was trying to understand. “Only mamas and papas use it to say the other looks beautiful.” 

“Oh,” Naia said thoughtfully. "Mama thinks you look beautiful," she said in understanding and didn’t question any further. 

Rey was thankful for Ben and how he handled the situation. He was really cut out for the parent lifestyle. When she had panicked, he remained calmed. She mouthed the words “thank you” to him and he winked in response. Rey held her breathe. She felt such agony. He looked _too_ good. Ben pulled the tags from his clothes and decided to wear them out of the store. Maybe it was a good thing that Naia was accompanying them today. Rey definitely thought that if she wasn’t around things might have progressed like in the vision. 

“I want black clothes too,” Naia pouted. Rey thought it was cute that the child wanted to look like her father. They shopped around the store for black clothes for Naia. It was probably bad that they were spoiling her, but Rey didn’t care. It was fun. 

The store didn’t have much of a selection of black clothes for children. They ended up finding a black shirt, skirt, and tights. Naia changed into her new clothes at the store. She was so proud. In that outfit she looked very much like Ben. Something tugged at Rey’s heart. 

They left the store and made their way back to the art studio. School had let out by then, so many people were out and about around town. They ended up running into their opponents from basketball yesterday. 

“Is this your daughter?” She looks just like you,” the woman smiled at Ben.

I'm sorry we never got your names." The man extended his hand out to Rey.

"I'm Rey and this is Ben."

"Nice to meet you Rey and Ben. I'm Arek, and this is Kista."

“We’re hosting a BBQ party at our house in a few days. If you’re in town, we’d love for you to come.” Kista cheerfully handed a paper invite to Rey.

After they were gone Rey asked Ben, “What’s a BBQ party?”

“You grill food, drink beer, and make small talk. It was in the manual,” he smirked at her. 

Rey looked down at the invitation. She hadn’t even known that they could do that here. She really needed to take time to read the dang manual. 

Back at that art studio, they needed to paint their mugs. They sat in the same seats that they used earlier. Now, there was another family in the studio. They were in a different area of the studio working on pencil sketches. Rey wondered how they were assigned which medium to work with. 

Rey painted her mug in two gradual colors, blue and red. Ben followed her and used the same colors for his mug. The end results of their mugs looked very similar. Naia had chose a vibrant yellow for hers. They left the mugs at the art studio so that they could be fired and glazed one last time. They were told to pick them up in the next few days. 

They returned home on their bikes as the sun was setting. The sky was pink and purple. Rey reflected on the day she had. It was a good one; their best one yet. Coming into this honeymoon, all she could think about was getting through it. However, now she was genuinely enjoying every minute of it. She wished they could just be like this forever. They were happy here. 

At home, they decided to try their hands at making tacos. This specific recipe called for ingredients that wasn’t in their pantry or refrigerator already. They would have to venture to the grocery store. 

The grocery store was pristine and modern. It had a different atmosphere than the rest of Model: Earth. Rey had made a list of items they needed to get to cook. They decided to split up to make things faster. Ben and Naia took half the list and went off to find their items. 

Rey wandered the isles looking for things on her list. Whenever she passed something she noticed that they had used, she picked it up. She figured it was good to buy it, just in case they ran out back home. 

She met back up with Ben and Naia, who had a basket full of things.

“That’s way more items than what was on your list,” Rey pointed out.

“Well, we saw these waffles,” Ben dug in the basket and retrieved a box of waffles. “And because of the waffles we had to get syrup. In the same isle with the syrup was baking goods. And we saw a box for cupcakes and then we had to get the rest of the ingredients for that. Things kind of spiraled out on control by then. But we did manage to get all the items from your list.”

Ben looked pretty proud of himself and also pretty guilty. Rey wondered how much of “we” in his statement meant just Naia. She was sure the girl coaxed Ben into getting all of the extra food. They should really stop spoiling her. 

“I’m not helping you carry that home.” 

After dinner was over, Naia went off to play while Ben and Rey cleaned up the kitchen. There was a lot of trial and error when making the tacos and they had left quite a mess behind. 

“I can’t decided which I like better, pizza or tacos,” Rey said as she washed the dishes. 

“It is difficult to choose between them,” Ben agreed. He slid some plates into the sink and lingered next to Rey. “Listen, I apologize for earlier. You had asked me what I was going to say and I didn’t respond.”

“Don’t worry about it.” She continued to wash dishes.

“Rey,” he paused and waited for her attention. She turned off the water and turned to look at him. “I worry about it. I worry about what I say to you because I don’t want to hurt you. That’s what I wanted to talk to you about. I know you don’t want this; that you don’t want me like that. I don’t want to feel like I’m intimidating you; that I’m pressuring you–”

Rey couldn’t listen anymore. She was hurt that Ben had these thoughts, because he was carrying so much guilt. She did want him in the same way he wanted her, how couldn’t he not see that? It was her fault that she had put those thoughts in his head. He was pouring his heart out to her. She had to do something. She had to show him, because words wouldn’t be enough. 

No more complications. 

No more overthinking. 

She had to trust in her feelings. While Ben was mid sentence, Rey impulsively went in to kiss him. She was shocked that she actually did it. Her lips met his for the first time. She felt his surprise and then worried that she may have done the wrong thing. She quickly pulled away.

Ben had that look in his eye, like when he had taken off his glove to touch her hand. He looked so innocent, and there was something else. 

“Ben–“ Rey was about to apologize, when he very gently took her chin and pulled her lips back to his. It was just like the vision they had seen. He kissed her with more purpose. It felt different this time, there was more depth. Her lips pressed to his as her core grew warm and tingly. She thought it was the force bond opening up, but it wasn’t. Ben’s lips were soft and intoxicating. 

Her hand went to grasp his face to pull him closer to her. She had forgotten that they had been washing dishes. Her wet hand, leaving droplets of water on his face. He didn’t notice. He was too immersed in Rey. As she pulled him closer, his body now pressed against hers, he welcomed her as he parted his lips and she melted into him. Their kiss deepened. Rey hadn’t known she could ever feel such things. She felt weak in his embrace, but yet strong. She could taste him; she could smell him. It was driving her mad because she couldn’t get enough of him. She’d never felt so alive.

“Where’s papa’s koala?” Naia entered the kitchen, unfazed that she had interrupted her parents kissing.

Rey and Ben pulled apart. He smiled at her radiantly and then turned to Naia.

“What do you want with my koala?” Ben went over to girl and picked her up and spun her around. He was beaming, in the best mood he had ever been in. “Let’s get you to bed.” He set the girl down and sent her off to bed as he followed behind. Just before he left the room, he turned and looked back at Rey and smiled at her.

Once he was gone, Rey let out a squeal. She couldn’t believe what happened, or what she did. She didn’t regret it. She had wanted to kiss him for so long now. She touched her lips, thinking of how Ben’s lip were just there. She had imagined that he would be rough, but he wasn’t at all. 

She quickly finished up the dishes, changed her clothes, and got in bed. She waited on Ben to finished putting Naia to bed. 

He walked in a few minutes later. He stripped down to his undergarments and got in bed. Rey let herself appreciate his body. She had no more shame. She wanted him to know that she was watching. When he got in bed he turned off the lights, leaving it dark. They both laid on their backs on their own side of the bed awkwardly apart. 

“Rey?” He quietly asked. She looked over to him. She could see the shadows of his face through the darkness. “Come here,” he grinned as he reached a hand out and pulled her into him. She didn’t resist, and quite honestly she wanted to be as near to him as possible. Rey scooted her back right into his chest as he spooned her. She felt so safe in his arms as she drifted off to sleep.

* * *

* * *

_Watch her take me by surprise, when she lets me call her mine._

* * *


	9. Mon Cala

### Summary:

Rey and Ben take a weekend trip to a tropical paradise on Mon Cala.

* * *

Part of the plan for Model: Earth was a two day trip to a tropical paradise on Mon Cala. Rey and Ben had boarded a ship along with a few other couples taking their two day trip. They would have to leave behind Naia as it was a couples only destination. 

When they dropped her off at the school to stay for the duration of their trip, the girl cried! She was visibly upset that her parents would be gone for two days. None of the other children showed any signs of distress like Naia did. She had clung herself to Rey and refused to let go. Ben was standing with them, rubbing the girl’s back trying to soothe her. Nothing they said would calm the girl. She would continue to wail and cry out that she didn’t want them to go. 

Ben understood Naia’s anxiety. When he was younger, his parents were really busy. Sometimes his father would leave, or sometimes it was his mother, or even sometimes it was the both of them at the same time. Separation was hard for him but over time he grew used to it. He had to, especially when his parents sent him to train with Luke. So he could sympathize.

“Here.” Ben reached into his bag that he had packed for their trip and pulled out his koala. “Keep this.” He handed the koala to the girl. “As long as you have this with you, we will always be with you. We will never be truly apart.” He kissed the girl’s forehead. 

Rey looked on fondly as Ben comforted the girl. She was surprised that he had carried the koala with him.

In the past few days since they had first kissed, Rey and Ben had grown closer together. They would sneak a kiss whenever possible, touch the other whenever possible. They had become inseparable. Rey was glad she had taken the leap. She was much more happier for it. She dreaded thinking of the day when their honeymoon would end, and so she stopped worrying about it. However that day would come. 

As their relationship advanced, so did their relationship with Naia. They had become a family. Rey and Ben had truly fell into their roles as parents. Ben, most of all, was a great father. Rey had thought it was because of the guilt he felt from killing his own father. She hadn’t forgotten. It was part of who he had been and who he was. 

Naia calmed down enough that was she able to let them go. Rey felt bad for leaving her, but they would back in two days.

Rey sat next to Ben on the ship to their destination, close enough that their shoulders brushed against the others. 

“It was strange that Naia reacted so strongly to us leaving,” Rey noted. 

“I read that the children can adapt to the behaviors of their parents. However Naia seems particularly perceptive. It is strange,” Ben agreed. 

“And the koala?”

“Ah. Naia had given it to me to take care of, but I think she needed it more than me,” he winked.

They arrived on Mon Cala a few hours later, landing on an island in the planet's vast ocean. The island was lined with a long beach on one side that stretched along the entire coast. The other side had a single mountain covered in a thick jungle. Across the coast were many small single villas all connected with a deck. Right in the center of the island’s coast stood the main hotel resort. 

The ship landed on a spaceport on the coast a ways away from the resort. When they exited the craft and stepped onto the sandy beach, Rey was reminded of Jakku. The staff from the resort greeted them with flower garland necklaces and a goodie bag. After they were split up from the few other couples who had accompanied them and lead to their own private villa. The people here on the Mon Cala Honeymoon Resort were less friendly than those visiting Model: Earth. No one greeted them besides the staff. 

The day before their departure they had to go to the Model: Earth city hall to make preparations for their trip to Mon Cala. They were shown information about the resort and all they could do there. They could then decide on their own how they would spend their time when they arrived. They had to choose a package, if they wanted to stay in the villas or in the resort. Rey and Ben had opted to stay at one of the villas. It would give them some privacy away from everyone else. Model: Earth provided clothes and everything else they would need on their trip. 

The section for villas was separate from the resort. The whole neighborhood hovered over the water. The villas were circular in shape and made completely of wood. The place was gorgeous. It felt so peaceful and relaxing with the sun hitting Rey’s skin, and the ocean waves' soft lull constantly in the background. Their villa consisted of one room with a small bathroom. The bed sat in the middle of the circular room, with a canopy and all white sheets and blankets. Opposite of the bed was an open bath. The bath had walls on either side stretching out into the balcony behind it so that no one could see in. It all seemed very romantic.

“What would you like to do first?” Rey asked Ben as she walked out onto the balcony. All she could see was water. The vibrant blue ocean stretched on forever. She had never seen so much water before. 

“There are so many possibilities.” Ben had joined her on the balcony. She stood next to him and leaned her head against his shoulder as he pulled her close. She would be fine being like this all day. Just the two of them, doing noting in particular was good enough.

“Can we stay here?” Rey asked. 

Ben turned her around and cupped her face and kissed her. Each time that he kissed her it felt like the first kiss.

“We can,” he said as he kissed her again. She could never tire of him. “But as fun as that sounds, I was kind of excited to go swimming on a beach.”

Rey had been excited too. When they landed on the beach it looked like paradise. The ocean was so blue and clear. People were swimming on the shore and relaxing on the beach. She thought it looked enjoyable. 

“Me too.”

Rey went back inside. She hadn’t packed any clothes that were suitable for swimming and neither had Ben. She checked the goodie bag they had received. They were told that it contained items that would be useful for their trip. She opened her bag and poured it out over the bed. Some things fell out. Some sunscreen spray, sunglasses, and a bathing suit. Rey looked at the bathing suit skeptically. There were two separate pieces of a brown color, with various strings and the littlest amount of fabric. She wondered how to put it on. She took her bikini and went to the bathroom to change. 

Ben stayed on the balcony looking out into the endless sea. It stretched far beyond the horizon. This trip meant that they were halfway through their honeymoon. He reflected on the past few days. He had never been so happy in his whole life than with the time he spent with Rey. He dreaded thinking about what would happened to their relationship once they returned to reality. He wanted go wherever she went, but he couldn’t go with her if she went back to the Resistance. It would be unwise. 

He didn’t belong there, and they would never accept him. No matter what Rey could say to try to convince them that he wasn’t the man he used to be, the Resistance would still want to put him on trial, fight him, maybe even kill him for his crimes. It would be suicide to go to the Resistance with Rey. He would go anywhere else with her, but not there.

Rey was stubborn though, and she would go back to the Resistance. He was sure she would. She may love him here, but out there she still had people counting on her and so she would help them; she had to, even if it meant going against Ben. That’s why Ben would not return to the First Order. He could never fight against her. It wouldn’t feel right. Omitting himself from the war he helped create would seem cowardice, but he no longer had a place in it. Snoke was dead. He was now free. He would do what was best for Rey, _for them_ , because he loved her.

He knew he loved her even before he met her, but denied his true feelings believing love was a weakness. However it turned out to be his greatest strength. It was because of his love for Rey that truly freed him. He never felt so alive. 

In the past few days, when Rey would be asleep, Ben would lay awake wondering if he deserved her. He worried that he wasn’t worthy of her light. If it wasn’t for her, he wouldn’t be where he was now, on this beautiful location with the woman he loved. She had saved him, and he had saved her. They were forever bonded to each other. The bond that the force created had served its purpose. Ben and Rey spent every second of every day together. The force bond had blossomed and spread into love. It was still present with them everyday, but it had retreated to the background. No more dreams, visions, feeling, or thoughts being shared. Ben missed that, but he didn’t need that anymore, not when Rey was always with him. 

Ben headed back inside their villa and changed into swimming briefs as he waited for Rey. He hadn't swam for enjoyment since he was a boy. A part of him wished that Naia was here with them, so they could share the experience with her. It was strange how much he also grew to care for the child. No matter how much he knew that she was a droid, just a bunch of mechanics, she felt real. 

His swimming briefs were shorter than he liked, exposing more of his upper thighs. His bare chest was exposed as well. He hadn’t brought any swim clothes with him and had to settle for the ones that came in the welcome goodie bag. He felt naked. It was drastically different than his usual attire. However, he had a feeling Rey would like it. 

She liked his body, he knew that. He would sometimes catch her eyeing him when he changed clothes. Or even when he was wearing clothes he would still find her gazing at him. He could never get over that; her watching him. She would eye him with an appealing look, taking in every bit of detail that was him. If it were anyone else he might have felt scrutinized under their gaze, but not with Rey. She appreciated his body. She _longed_ for it. 

Rey appeared from the bathroom nervously. She had on the bikini. Surprisingly it fit her perfectly. The halter top was paired with matching bottoms that hugged her waistline. She was scantly dressed and aware. She had hoped that Ben wouldn’t be around so that she had some time to find something to cover up with. She had never been so exposed with anyone, and even though she shouldn’t have felt embarrassed, she couldn’t help it. She was embarrassed for being so bare.

Then she saw Ben. He was wearing almost nothing as well. She completely forgot her situation and gawked at him. He was only wearing trunks. His broad chest was bare and muscular and his legs long and lean. She looked him up and down, not realizing he was doing the same to her. 

“ _Oh_.” Ben licked his lips. 

“I know, it’s way too much.” Rey suddenly feeling under pressure began to try to find something to cover up. 

Ben, seeing her unease went over to her and took her by the hands, stopping her hasty movements. “You’re body is beautiful. Don’t ever be ashamed of that.” He pulled her close and kissed her forehead. 

She was comforted from his words. It was such a simple thing to say, but spoke volumes to her, especially hearing it from him. Ben was never one to give compliments, so she knew that he meant it. She wrapped her arms around his bare torso. His skin was so warm to the touch. After he kissed her forehead he wrapped his arms around her shoulder. 

A certain energy passed between them as their almost naked bodies pressed against each other. It felt like the force bond was connecting them; something was pulling them closer than they already were. 

Something was tugging Rey; an ache inside her. She _needed_ him. That need grew hot and hungry and she let herself be taken over by it. She pulled herself back from Ben’s embrace. Her eyes looking down at his naked chest. She could hear his heart beat, fast and loud. She felt her own heart beat faster as she slowly looked up to greet his dark wanting eyes. 

Ben was looking at the woman he loved. He had never felt such love for anyone as he did for Rey. He didn’t know he could ever love anyone as much as Rey. She made him whole. He was complete with her. In this moment with her and everything that had led him here, he was finally ready to be the man he was meant to be. 

“I love you.”

Rey had heard the words come from Ben, so effortlessly. He sounded so certain in his confession. The love he had for her poured out of him and she didn’t need the force bond to tell her that. Slow tears fell from her eyes as she stood in front of the man who loved her. _And she loved him_. She could never forget the things he’d done, but he had changed. She was sure of that. The light in Ben had emerged. The more time he spent with Rey, the more the light shown through in him. 

Ben wiped away a tear falling down her cheek. Rey wasn’t sad; he understood that. His hand cupped her cheek and she let herself rest in it. She felt so safe with him. She wanted to tell him then that she loved him too, but she couldn’t say the words. She wasn’t ready. Ben didn’t need her to say it back, because he already knew. He knew since their date night at the bar. That night might not have ended well, but it sure was a good time up until the incident. As they had slow danced on the floor in the bar, he could see it in her eyes then. 

Rey pulled him close to her and kissed him, an urgency driving her. She wasn’t sure what she was feeling, except that she wanted him close, as close as possible. The touch of his bare skin against hers sent shivers down her spine. She trailed her hands down his chest, feeling the curves of his muscles. A gruntled sound escaped Ben’s lips as she kissed and breathed him in. She had never heard him make such a sound before. She liked the idea that she could give him pleasure. 

Ben wanting nothing more than for Rey to keep touching him, kissing him, was being pulled to her. As he stepped into her, she had no where else to go but to step back to keep them from falling over. Rey couldn’t see where they were headed. She was too mesmerized in Ben to notice that when she hit a dresser behind her. The force of their bodies pushed against the dresser, sending something on it toppling over the side and crashing on the floor, startling them both. 

Rey broke herself from Ben to check what had been broken. It had been a bowl of fruit now scattered in pieces on the floor with the fruit rolling around. Separated from Ben, Rey had forgotten what they were doing before they got distracted in each other. 

“We should get going to the beach while it’s still optimal daylight,” she told Ben.

“We should,” Ben agreed, but the look he gave Rey told her something else. 

Rey was already across the room preparing to head out. She looked at him, trying to read his face when suddenly, by the force, she was lifted up on her tiptoes and dragged straight to Ben, colliding with him. He didn’t falter however. Her temper boiled. _How dare he use the force on her!_

She hadn’t had the time to recoil because Ben had leaned down to kiss her with such ferocity that it took her by surprise. She let him kiss her. His lips felt so good, so hungry for hers. She hadn’t forgot that she was mad at him for using the force to pull her. She kind of even liked that he did it. He wanted her.

They both knew they weren’t going to the beach. 

Ben picked her up and carried her over to the bed and gently laid her down. He looked her up and down carefully, like he was about to devour her. She was in that bikini that barely covered her body. Rey never looked so beautiful and so sexy. The blood in his body rushed between his legs. 

Rey was waiting for him impatiently. She reached up and grabbed his hair and softly pulled him towards her so that she could continue kissing him. Ben was slow and gently. He wanted to take his time now. He trailed kisses down onto Rey’s neck, savoring every one. The pleasure she felt from him sucking at her neck drove her unstable. She moaned as she squirmed under his grip. Ben enjoyed her pleasurable distress. He trailed his kisses down her body further, kissing her chest, the edges of her breast not covered with fabric of her bikini, down to her stomach.

Each touch of his lips on her bare skin would send her over the edge. He was meticulous, wanting to taste every inch of her. She could die like this. 

Ben made his way all the down to her crotch. The thin fabric teasing him. He was ever curious…He lightly tugged at the fabric pulling it down to around her thighs.

Rey thought she would have been embarrassed or even objected to it, but she welcomed him. She felt completely at ease and completely aroused. She anticipated his touch there and when it came it was the most magnificent sensation. The way he kissed her _there_ , built up a climax in her. Sweat broke out across her writhing body, her heart rate quicken, her moans louder and more frequent. It drove his body to want more of her. He had never wanted something so much as he wanted her right now, right here.

Before she could reach her climax, Ben stopped. She looked down at him and in that moment he had never looked so beautiful hunching over her. His hair was tousled, his face was flushed, his lips plump, and even he had a sheen of sweat. She sat up and caressed his cheek. 

“I love you.” The words had fell out without thought. 

Ben hadn’t expected her to say it back, he didn’t need her to say it back, but hearing it from her sounded like the most heavenly thing she could ever say to him.

Rey watched as Ben smiled uncontrollably and she smiled in return. They were happy. He kissed her with much enthusiasm, laying her back down on the bed. 

His hands trailed around her back untying her straps and then up around her neck to release the bra. For the first time, she was completely bare before him. Ben leaned back and softly gazed at her, studying every inch. She was his and he loved her and she loved him. 

Ben tugged at his shorts, releasing himself from the confines of the fabric. Rey watched Ben completely undress. Seeing him completely naked and already aroused, aroused her even more. The excitement grew in her more, awaiting for them to finally be joined as one. 

He kissed her gently at her navel and trailed kisses up to meet her lips. Rey felt showered in his affection. She was grateful that he was taking things quite deliberately. It afforded her time to appreciate the moment. She had thought that maybe he would be a ravenous lover, however he was very gentle and understanding. _It was her first time._

Ben kissed her as he carefully eased into her. The pressure and new sensations were overwhelming for Rey, but in a good way. He slowly thrusted in as far as he could go. He grunted and mumbled her name in pleasure. They were finally and irrevocably joined together. 

Ben’s pace began to pick up as he thrusted. Rey had wrapped her legs around him, pulling him as close as possible to her. Her hands were tangled in his hair, holding his face just above hers. Every breath, moan, and grunt they shared as they looked into each other’s eyes. The feeling of Ben all around her and inside her was bringing her to her climax. She couldn’t think of anything else, only him. 

They were quiet except for their sounds of pleasure. Ben felt himself loose control in her. He was reaching his climax with every thrust. He thought that he had loved Rey, but being this intimate with her, if there was a word greater than love; he felt that for her. They were made to be together like this. The way their bodies moved together created such a beautiful sensation. He liked the way she wrapped her legs around him, pushing him deeper, or how her hands would pull on his hair whenever she felt particular pleasure. He knew he was doing something right. 

Soon in his uncontrollable passion Ben reached his climax as he thrusted in one last time and released himself. He moaned her name as he came and collapsed into her. Rey wrapped her arms around him, cradling him. She would have been content ending it like that but Ben, ever persistent, wanted her to reach her climax as well. He stayed in Rey’s embrace as he slid a hand down and began making circular motions on her most sensitive spot. It was unlike the kissing he had done earlier. This caught her by surprise, taking her breath away. She could not move at his mercy and the ecstatic pleasure he was causing. Rey soon found herself climaxing as she crumbled under Ben. 

They lay wrapped in each other on the bed. Rey had a glow about her as did Ben. Through the windows across the bed they could see the sun begin to set as the sky turned pink. 

“This is much better than the beach,” Rey confessed and they both giggled. 

Ben tucked some her hair behind her ear. She looked truly beautiful. He couldn’t get over it. 

“I love you,” he said confidently. He could tell her forever that he loved her and it wouldn’t be enough. 

“I love you,” Rey responded, as she tucked some of his hair behind his ear, mimicking him. 

“We could still go to the beach,” he suggested.

“Or stay here?” Rey unexpectedly spun herself around to be on top of Ben. She straddled him, both of them still naked. Ben was instantly aroused at her sudden actions. He liked her on top. 

“Here is good,” he nodded his head in enthusiasm. 

It was completely dark out as they made their way over to the resort’s restaurant for dinner. They had opted to put back on their regular clothes, leaving the swimsuits behind. The night was chilly but still hot. Ben took hold of Rey’s hand as they walked towards the resort. They were both beaming, riding a high from the afternoon they spent together. 

The restaurant was full of other couples dinning for the night. Rey and Ben were seated out on the deck overlooking the beach. As they waited for their food, they sat quietly peering over at the waves on the beach. The two moons in the sky of Mon Cala casted a light over the dark waters. There was a peacefulness about the air. 

Ben glanced over to Rey. He observed her as she looked out into the ocean. For the first time she was wearing her hair completely down. She looked beautiful. She always would to him. Only he could see her true beauty and soul. He knew Rey, understood her unlike anyone else. So he could tell she was thinking heavily about something. 

“What’s on your mind?” He asked her. 

“You.” 

“How so?”

“What will happen to you after this?” She frowned. It was something that had been weighing on her as they had walked over to the restaurant. This trip to Mon Cala, marked the halfway point of their Honeymoon. Within a week they would depart. Rey had promised herself that she would go back to the Resistance and fight with her people. That was where she felt that she belonged. However, she also belonged with Ben and Ben couldn’t go with her if she returned to the Resistance. 

“I’ll go with you. Wherever you want to go,” Ben stated.

“Wherever?”

“Wherever. If you want to go back to the Resistance, I’ll go. The First Order means nothing to me.”

That spoke volumes to her that Ben would be willing to go to the Resistance with her. He had told her a few days ago that his allegiance was to her. He wanted to fight with her, not against her.

“What about your mother?” She had to ask. 

“My mother has been waiting for me to come home, even after all I’ve done. She’s never given up hope.”

“She loves you.”

“It’s not her I worry about. The people of the Resistance and I have never had a good relationship, to put it kindly. They hate me and will want me to pay for what I’ve done. I’ll be prosecuted.”

It was true. From her time in the Resistance, they all saw Ben as the evil heartless Kylo Ren. She acknowledge what he’s done, and who he was, but that wasn’t him anymore. Rey believed in Ben. Even though the dark in him was still present and would probably always be present, the light in him had risen. The force in Ben was gradually coming to balance. Rey could feel it and it was glorious. 

“What if you fought with us against the First Order? You could share valuable intel in exchange for your pardon.”

“You think they’ll accept that?”

“Leia will.”

“And everyone else?”

“If they see that you want to work with us and fight with us, they’ll come around.”

Ben had rather just leave the war. He was tired of fighting. He was tired of being used for his abilities or knowledge. He understood that it was important to Rey. And if they wanted to be together in peace, this war would have to cease. The option of them running away from it all was still appealing. They could live in peace in isolation on some obsolete planet somewhere. But Rey had friends and people she cared for, and Ben couldn’t leave his mother. His mother deserved a better son; one who didn’t kill his own father. _No_. He couldn’t run away. He had to face what he'd done. 

“Ok. I’ll join you.”

“Thank you.” Rey held his hand across the table. 

After dinner they were walking out the restaurant when Ben paused and started walking over to the bar for celebration drinks.

“What are we celebrating exactly?” Rey asked him as they sat down on some stools at the counter. 

“Us,” he grinned. 

Ben ordered a sparkling drink that came in tall glasses. 

“To us.” He held his glass up and clinked it with Rey’s. 

“To us!” Rey cheerfully toasted with him. The drink was bubbly and sweet, much better than the drinks that they had on Model: Earth. 

“Congratulations!” The couple sitting next to them joined in on their toast, peering around Ben. They looked like they’d been at the bar for quite some time already. 

“Thank you,” Ben said as he turned away from them, trying to close them off. 

“Did you two just arrive today?” The insistent man peered over Ben’s shoulder.

“Yes.” Ben turned back around reluctantly. 

“I’m Lethro, and this is my lovely lady Trinna.” Lethro pointed to the lady sitting next to him. 

“Nice to meet you.” Trinna stuck her hand out to shake both Ben’s and Rey’s. They looked like friendly people, Rey thought but she could tell that Ben didn’t want to be bothered with them. 

“Are you one of them couples coming in from Model: Earth today?” Lethro asked. 

“We are,” Ben responded.

“How is that project? I heard some things about it.” Lehtro said.

“What things?”

“Illegal things.”

That didn’t worried Rey. They knew the droids used in Model: Earth were illegal. 

“What illegal things?” Ben was curious.

“Well there’s always talk about that project. It ain’t expensive for no reason. They only want the rich because they assume the rich would keep quiet about whatever it is they’re hiding. 

“But a few years ago, a buddy of mine won the lottery and he used the money for his honeymoon on Earth to impress his new lady. When they came back, something was wrong. He was paranoid and his lady was utterly distraught. He told me he had to do something. He planned to expose whatever’s happening there. Then suddenly they both vanished.” 

Lethro leaned in close to Rey and Ben and whispered, “At first I thought they went into hiding. Maybe they made a muck of things during their honeymoon. But if they went into hiding why did they leave everything behind. And my buddy would have told me something. They just vanished.

“I believed my buddy was onto something and whatever he was planning to expose was huge, so huge they killed him and his wife and covered it all up. That was years ago. Haven't heard from them since.” 

Rey and Ben shared a glance. It didn’t make sense that the IMM would do something so rash to keep their droids a secret. Ben had suspected early on that the major company had ties with illegal business partners around the galaxy and maybe even the First Order to operate something as extortionate as their Earth project. 

“I’m sorry for saying such a grim thing. You seem like great people. Just be careful with that project.” Lethro and Trinna both stood up, bid them goodbye, and left. 

“That guy was weird right?” Rey said in a hushed tone after Lethro and Trinna were gone. 

“Yeah,” Ben said, even though he knew that Lethro hadn’t been lying. He was telling the truth, at least part of the truth. There was something more that Lethro wasn't telling them. That worried Ben. Whatever was going on, on Model: Earth was so classified that the IMM would kill to cover it up. He didn’t want the same for Rey and him. So far, Earth was an ideal place. As long as they continued to follow their schedule and be immersed in the experience, they shouldn’t face any problems. 

He could tell Rey was uncertain about the situation. “That won’t happen to us.” He rubbed her back affectionately. 

They were somber as they walked back to their villa. It was late and almost vacant around the resort. Ben didn’t like the unease he felt coming from Rey. Maybe he was also feeling his own unease. Their vacation felt suddenly tarnished. He wanted to cheer her up and lighten the mood. He couldn’t let what that man said ruin this for them. Who knew when they would be together again like this after their honeymoon. 

He suddenly took Rey's hand and started running with her towards the shore line. 

“What are you doing?” Rey yelled at him as they ran.

“Swimming!” Ben let her go and he ran ahead towards the water. Rey followed after him.

“Now?!” 

When Ben reached the water, he didn’t hesitant. He threw off his shoes and ran straight in, still fully clothed. Rey was shocked. She had never seen Ben so spontaneous. She took off her shoes but stopped at the edge of the water. 

“Ben!” She called to him. He dipped under the water and for a minute it was quiet. It was dark, except for the reflection of the moons on the water. She couldn’t see him anywhere. She waded in further trying to find him.

“Ben?”

He appeared with a gasp of air, farther out in the water. He was waiting for her. She braced herself and walked deeper into the ocean. The water was a comfortable cool temperature. It felt refreshing compared to the hot humid weather of Mon Cala. As she came out into the water, Ben swam toward her. He disappeared under the water again, and she couldn’t see him anywhere. All of a sudden she felt something touch her legs. She screamed. Ben jumped up from the water right in front of her. He began laughing. 

“That’s not funny,” she said seriously while splashing him with water. 

“Come on Rey.” Ben wrapped his arms around her, bringing her in close. “It was a little funny.” He leaned down to kiss her. “Your scream,” he smirked as he kissed her. 

Rey playfully hit him. He pretended to be hit hard and went tumbling back into the water, making a big splash. She ducked under the water, getting herself completely wet and swam after him. 

* * *

* * *

_So long as I have breath in my lungs, long as there's a song to be sung, I'll be yours and you will be mine._

* * *


	10. Kylo Ren

### Summary:

Rey and Ben return from Mon Cala and are met with a few revelations.

* * *

Rey took the cupcakes out of the oven.

“How much time do we have left?” She called to Ben in the living room. He was on the floor playing dolls with Naia. It felt good to back home.

“The BBQ starts in forty-five minutes.” Ben checked his watch. 

After they returned from their weekend trip to Mon Cala, they had forgotten that Arek and Kista had invited them to a BBQ on that same day. They picked up Naia from staying at the school while they were gone and hurried home. Rey thought it would be a good idea to bring a dish with them to the party. She had found a recipe for cupcakes in their cook book. The cupcakes looked cute and easy. Together with Ben and Naia, they whipped up the batter and put the cupcakes in the oven to bake. 

She hoped the cupcakes would cool fast. They still needed to decorate them. She looked over at Ben and Naia on the floor in the living room. Ben was really good with the girl. Rey observed how he would make an excellent father some day, the father to their children. She smiled to herself thinking about having a family with him. It warmed her heart. One day, she hoped. 

She watched them play as she waited on the cupcakes to cool. Time was running out. She left the cupcakes in the pan and began putting icing on them. 

“Do you want help with that?” Ben had gotten up and came over to her. 

“Can you do that pan over there?” Rey pointed to the another pan still on top of the oven. Ben brought it over to the kitchen island and starting adding icing on the cupcakes. 

“I want to help.” Naia walked over to them with her Koala in hand. Ever since Ben had given it to her when they left for Mon Cala, she seemed to always carry it with her. 

“After we finish putting icing on them, you can add the sprinkles.” Rey pushed a tin of sprinkles across the counter over to Naia who had climbed up onto the surface. 

“What?” Ben had noticed Rey was watching him. He stopped and look at his cupcakes that he was icing with concern. “Am I doing it wrong?”

“No, it’s not that.” Rey hadn’t noticed that she zoned out. She had been observing Ben as he carefully squeezed out icing onto each cupcake with his large steady hands. It was a delicate thing to see him do and he was doing it very diligently. 

“I was just thinking that it’s good to be home,” she sighed contently. 

“Home. I like the sound of that.” Ben wrapped his arms around Rey, brining her in for a short kiss. _Home_. She felt like home in his arms. This place on Model: Earth had come to feel like a home, but they only had another week left here. Soon they would have to leave it all behind. That saddened Ben. Wherever they would go, whatever would happen to them after this, as long as they were together, they would be home. 

He saw the glum look in Rey’s eyes when he let her go. She had been thinking the same. Soon their honeymoon would be over and they would have to leave the home they’ve made here. Ben turned from her and squeezed out a bit of icing on his fingertip.

“Rey?” He turned back to look at her and he intentionally smeared the icing on her nose. 

“Ben!” Rey gasped. Without hesitation, and quite recklessly she took a cupcake that she had just finished icing from the tray and playfully smashed right into Ben’s face. He stood there shocked, the expression on his face in disbelief. The room was suddenly quiet. Rey instantly regretted what she had done. Maybe she took it too far. Ben removed the smashed cupcake off his face revealing all the icing that still stuck to his chin. He then licked at the icing around his lips.

“Delicious,” he declared, breaking the silence. Naia burst out in a fit of giggles. He smirked at Rey. _Those eyes_. She leaned in forward and licked some of the icing off of his chin. 

“You’re delicious.”

Just as she was about to pull away, Ben leaned in very close to her ear and whispered, “Just wait.”

She didn’t know what that meant or had the time to think about it. _Time!_ They were running out of time, Rey reminded them. In a hurry they cleaned up the mess, finished icing and decorating the cupcakes, and headed out the door. They were going to arrive late. They hurriedly walked through the Suburbs to West Circle 3. Rey hadn’t noticed that the homes all had addresses. The Suburbs were separated into three circles, respective to their locations: east, south and west. The neighborhoods weren’t exactly circles, but the winding roads connecting them kind of resembled circles. Their home was in East Circle, which was the largest of all the neighborhoods. They had to travel from their home, East Circle 14, to the furthest part of the West Circle which sat on the edge of the Country next to the gardens. 

“Welcome! You’ve made it.” Kista greeted them at the door with a warm smile. 

“We made cupcakes,” Rey handed her the tray of cupcakes. 

“Oh! Thank you, you didn’t have to.” Kista graciously received the cupcakes from Rey. “Everyone is just out in the backyard. This way.” She ushered them through her home. Rey noted that Kista’s home was similar to her own, but with minor differences like the color of the sofa, or a wall. It further reminded her that this place wasn’t entirely her home. It was a vacation. 

“Glad you made it!” Arek greeted them once they went outside. They had a good sized deck that overlooked a grass yard. The yard stretched back to the edge of an apple orchard. Rey never thought to look behind her house. She didn’t know if they had a deck or a yard. Many people were scattered about the deck standing or sitting about the table. Children were running around playing in the yard, there was music coming from somewhere. The smell of meat grilling filled the air. 

“Ben, was it? I could use some help over here.” Arek pulled a reluctant Ben away, leaving Rey and Naia. 

“Mama, can I go play?” Naia tugged at Rey’s pants. 

“Sure.” Rey dismissed the girl and she went running to the other childen with her Koala in tow. Rey was left all alone. She stood there awkwardly on the deck. Ben was with Arek and some other people huddled around the grill. Rey realized that she didn’t know anyone else here. There were several familiar faces, but she never took the time to get to know anyone during their stay. Arek and Kista were the only other couple whose names she knew. It surprised her that they had made so many friends during their time here. Rey and Ben hadn’t even bothered to make friends. Maybe they did put off a standoffish demeanor. 

Two women started approaching Rey. She felt nervous and exposed without Ben. This past week she was always with Ben. She hadn’t noticed how much she had come to lean on his company. She quickly looked over to find him. He was still at the grill. He seemed tense, but yet observing whatever it was that Arek was showing them on the grill. Rey was more interested in what they were doing than having to have small talk with anyone else that was around. She’d much rather be with Ben. Just as it seemed he had read her thoughts, Ben looked over and caught Rey’s glimpse. He gave her a reassuring smile before someone pulled him back in the conversation. 

“Is it true?” A woman asked Rey as she approached her. 

“Is it true that your partner is the Kylo Ren?” The other woman blurted out, approaching her too.

Rey was shocked. How would anyone know? There had been no other new couples who had arrived on Model: Earth after them, so the people already here had no idea about the situation of the war. Rey was sure no one here recognized them. Ben almost always exclusively wore his mask before he met Rey. Only a handful of people knew his true face. However Lehtro, the guy they met on Mon Cala, had pointed out that the people who chose the Model: Earth plan were rich. There were many rich people who dealt with the First Order who may have recognized Ben. She wondered who it was.

“I don’t know what you’re talking about,” Rey tried to convince them. They ignored her and changed their glance to Ben.

“I heard Kylo Ren was a pretty boy, but I didn’t know he was that pretty.” 

“He’s not my type, but I do agree he's got a nice body.”

“Who told you?” Rey interrupted them, growing irritated.

“So it is true!”

“I can’t believed Kylo Ren was matched.”

“Anyone matched with him would be so lucky.”

“Can you imagine?”

“No one would dare cross you.”

“The sex…”

Rey cleared her throat, clearly agitated now. 

“Oh, right.” The women quickly apologized to Rey, realization dawning on them that they were speaking to Kylo Ren’s partner.

“Who told you?” Rey pressed with more seriousness in her tone this time. 

“Arek and Kista.”

“Arek works for the First Order and so he knew of Kylo Ren but he didn’t recognize his face without the mask,” one explained.

“However they said that they saw him using the force and that’s how Arek knew it was Kylo Ren. No one else is known to have force abilities like that," the other explained.

It made sense now. They were so focused on their argument that day that both of them had forgotten that they had used the force with others present. It was foolish. Maybe that was why Arek had become friendly with them. Rey and Ben would be at risk if Arek ever found out that Ben committed treason. At least here they were safe here. All Honeymoons had a strict policy of no communication devices during their vacation. The IMM said it was so that couples could focus on each other.

“We’re totally cool with it, everyone here is, but word has been spreading.”

“Some people aren’t comfortable with him around.”

Rey couldn’t take listening to their chatter anymore. She excused herself so that she could tell Ben of the gossip she just received. 

“Rey! Could you lend a hand?” Kista came walking across Rey’s path struggling to carry two trays of fruits and vegetables. Rey took one tray from her and brought it over to the table with Kista. She was still focused on going to talk to Ben, however when she looked over at him, she saw that he was relaxed, even laughing. Arek had given him the spatula and now he was tending to meat on the grill. Rey told herself that it could wait. Instead she followed Kista back inside to avoid having to talk to gossipers again. 

“Is there anything else I can help you with?” Rey offered. Kista handed her some buns to bring out to the table. After that Kista retreated back into the kitchen and Rey followed.

“Do you want one?” Kista reached in the fridge and pulled out a can of beer and tossed it to Rey before she could even respond.

“I’m going to miss this place,” Kista sighed as she opened her beer and took a sip. Rey opened hers as well and sipped on it. 

“When do you depart?”

“In three days. Honestly I didn’t want to come here for our honeymoon. Before this, I had no intention of having kids. My parents were obstinate and wanted me to reconsider and so they gifted the Model: Earth package to us. I was upset at first, because there was a six month waitlist and I didn’t want to wait that long when we could just choose another package and leave that same day.”

“There’s a six month waitlist?!” Rey almost spat out her beer. She wondered how many couples they fast tracked past when Ben had them expedited. 

“Yeah. Don’t you know?” Kista asked Rey, and then it hit her. “Oh. You probably didn’t have to deal with that, considering who your man is and all. Model: Earth is exclusive and is only in operation for a few months, twice a year. They’re literally running a simulation here. So, many people apply, but few get chosen. If you aren’t chosen the first time, you can wait six months till it opens up again and your chances of getting chosen are increased. That’s what Arek and I had to do. At first, we were worried we hadn’t been chosen again, but during the last shipment of couples, we were accepted. Which is why when everyone heard a new couple would be joining so suddenly, we all assumed it had to be someone of power. Everyone was dying to get to know you two, but you always kept to yourselves.”

“We didn’t kick anyone out, did we?” Rey didn’t know why that was the first thing she asked.

“Oh no. I think they prepare for these kinds of situations. Not all houses are occupied. But thanks to you two, since we were the last shipment and you’re the last couple, we get to choose to stay on for an extra two days and leave when you guys do in five days instead of in three days. Arek and I are still leaving on our original departure day; can’t let my parents know how much I actually enjoy it here, but I hear lots of other couples are choosing the extension.”

“They all know that he’s Kylo Ren?” Rey finally asked.

“Yeah, sorry about that. If it’s any consolation, most people don’t believe it. They see him with you and your daughter, who is the most adorable droid here, and they just can’t believe that he’s Kylo Ren. Even I didn’t believe it. I saw you guys walking home from the carnival that night, and he was carrying the child, and I just couldn’t believe that it was the same man. If I hadn’t saw him using the force during basketball, no one would have convinced me otherwise.”

“Everyone here at this party believes it?”

“Oh yeah. Arek is quite the diplomat. He’s an officer of the First Order. Actually many people at the party have ties with the First Order. Don’t worry, you’re with allies.” Kista nodded. 

That worried Rey more than consoling her. If everyone here had ties with the First Order, then she was among enemies. For now, they didn’t know who she was. They knew Kylo Ren, the warlord of the First Order, and they respected him for his position and power, and therefore would respect her. She became anxious knowing she was dining with the enemy.

They walked home in the dark after the party. Rey had worried about being among so many First Order sympathizers, but it was fine. She was seated away from Ben next to Kista at the table. Everyone was split up from their partner. She hadn’t gotten a chance to speak with Ben almost the whole night. All the children were seated at their own smaller table separate from the adults. Rey would check on Naia, who seemed happy among her peers. 

She would catch herself glancing over to Ben who was seated at the other end of the table and he would glance back knowingly. She longed to be with him, but appreciated him from this distance. If she didn’t think about the enemy aspect of the people around her, it felt like a casual dinner party with friends; like something they had always done. 

Kista was nice and Rey learned that she herself had no ties to the First Order besides being engaged to Arek. She asked Rey a lot of questions about herself, to which Rey didn’t know how to answer. She was curious about Rey’s force abilities, as she noticed that it wasn’t just Ben using the force during basketball. Rey was grateful to know that Arek and Kista hadn’t shared that she could use the force too. They seemed like good people. Actually everyone there seemed like good people. Rey felt ashamed that she considered them enemies. Hadn’t she thought of Ben as her enemy, a monster? It wasn’t right to make assumptions, she understood that now. 

“They know that you’re Kylo Ren,” Rey told Ben as soon as they were out of earshot of the other couples walking home from the party.

“I know–“

“Papas’ Kylo Ren? What’s that?” Naia cut in. She held onto Ben’s hand as they walked and her other hand held the Koala. 

“It was my job,” Ben nervously laughed as he ran his free hand through his hair.

“What did you do?” Naia asked curiously. It amazed Rey how perceptive the child was. Naia sought to understand.

“Well, I did many things as Kylo Ren…but they weren’t good things so I don’t do them anymore.”

“Kylo Ren was bad?”

“Yes.” Ben nodded solemnly. 

“Why did you become Kylo Ren?” The childlike innocence in Naia’s voice not knowing it carried such a heavy and justifiable question.

“Someone tricked me, but Rey– your mother saved me. She was the only one who believed in me and wanted to fight for me,” he said with earnest. 

“Mama is your angel,” Naia said as matter-of-fact. 

“She is.” Ben admitted as he eyed Rey. He had never thought of her as being his angel. She was the one to bring him back into the light. Without Rey, he was sure he would never have had the courage and strength to kill Snoke and free himself. Without Rey, he was sure he would never have learned to love again. Ben thought about how much love he had now. He had love for Rey and love for Naia. 

He wished that they could keep the child. It was kind of cruel that the Model: Earth gave you a droid that was created using your own DNA so that it would look like a possible offpsring of yours. Ben felt that Naia was different from the other droids. She showed more emotion and more affection than the others. Ben had watched her interact with the other child droids during dinner. He could easily see Naia was different. She played with her imagination always changing and adapting, unlike the others whose actions were preprogrammed mechanics. Maybe in his haste back when they were choosing a destination for their honeymoon and he requested the most expensive one; maybe that also came with a better advanced droid. 

* * *

Ben waited on the bed as Rey put Naia to sleep. The last time he had done this was on their first night on Earth. He was in the exact same position, listening to Rey read a story to the girl. However this time he wouldn’t fall asleep. This time he anticipated Rey to come join him on the bed. They had spent a few nights sleeping together on this bed before Mon Cala. There would be kissing and cuddling and then they would sleep. Now, since their time on Mon Cala, Ben found himself constantly longing to be with Rey. 

“She will not part with that Koala. She had me tuck it in as well. It’s quite endearing though.” Rey entered their bedroom.

“Finally.” Ben reached his hand out with the force and closed the door as he stalked over to Rey. He pinned her against a wall as he kissed her. 

Rey was caught off guard at first but she welcomed his kiss. He was so eager tonight, his kiss messy and needy leaving him gasping for more. Ben’s hands ran down around her butt, picking her up as she wrapped her legs around his waist. He carried her over to the bed and laid her down. 

Rey ached to be joined with him. How long had it been? Just this morning they had woken up and decided to forego breakfast at the resort to stay in bed and enjoy their last moments in paradise. They lost track of time, lost in each other and almost missed their ride back to Model: Earth. Rey had been starving so they hurried through the villas to the resort’s buffet, picked up some fruit, and then hurried to catch their ship. The ship obviously wasn’t going to leave without them. Everyone was already seated and the engine was already running waiting to depart. Ben and Rey took a seat, as they tried to stifle in laughter as everyone glared at them.

Rey tugged at his clothes urgently as he tugged at hers. The sooner they get these clothes off, the sooner…

“Close your eyes,” Ben ordered her. He had her pinned on the bed, topless. She did as he said. “Don’t open them. I’ll know,” he said with a little sinister grin.

Rey couldn’t see but she could sense with the force. Ben still had her pinned. She felt his presence hovering over her. It made her nervous that she couldn’t see him, but she trusted him and it was exciting being under his will like this. She wondered what he had planned. 

Just then she felt a finger, lightly brush her collarbone. He trailed his finger, very lightly like a feather inward and then down the middle of her chest. Rey felt herself holding in her breath. His touch tickled and sent wonderful sensations all throughout her body. The fact that her eyes were closed and she couldn’t see him excited her even more. His touch was magnified by her blindness. When he reached her navel he stopped.

“Wait here.” Rey felt him leave her. His hot body no longer near hers.

“Keep your eyes closed!” He called from a further distance, just as she was about to open them to see where he had gone. 

She heard the door open, him move as he went from their room to the kitchen. She heard various sounds but couldn’t distinguish them. Maybe a door close? A hard surface? Something being set on the surface? And then Ben’s feet hit the hardwood floors as he scurried back to the room. 

“I’m back.” That was evident when she felt him move across the bed to her. 

“Promise to keep your eyes closed until I tell you to open them?” The tone in his voice serious. 

“I promise,” Rey whimpered. She wasn’t scared so she didn’t know why her voice came out so feebly. Whatever stunt he was pulling, she trusted him. 

She felt something touch her stomach.

“Oh!” She said in surprise. It was cold and foreign. She desperately wanted to open her eyes to see whatever it was that he had put on her. 

“Ben?” She breathed. 

“Shh.” She felt Ben say as his breath hit her stomach. And then Ben licked her. He licked whatever it was that he had put on her stomach. The sensation of his tongue on her bare stomach, lapping at whatever it is she didn’t know. She just knew that it felt so good. She squirmed under him in her blind amplified pleasure.

She hadn’t noticed when he stopped and when his lips were suddenly on hers. She opened her mouth to his, sucking his tongue, tasting something sweet. She finally knew what the substance was. The icing from the cupcakes. _Just wait_. Ben words ran through her head from earlier. If this was his way of payback, Rey didn’t object. 

“Can I open my eyes now?” 

“You can.”

She opened her eyes to find Ben looking intensely at her. He undid his pants, as Rey undid hers. They had waited long enough and she was ready. 

* * *

It started to rain as they rode their bikes home from school the next day. Rey and Ben hadn’t expected it, neither bringing any rain gear to protect themselves. Rey looked back at Naia who seemed unfazed by the rain. Then she looked at Ben. The rain had soaked his hair and clothes. It reminded her of the night they frolicked in the ocean and came home and then showered together. His wet body had been pressed up against hers as they held each other under the hot stream of the shower head. She would never forget those moments they spent on Mon Cala. Ben made her incredibly happy. 

Rey was beginning to consider a future with them running away together. They wouldn’t have to be a part of the war. They could just leave. They could be happy together away from the galaxy. It was never Rey’s war to begin with. She got pulled into it, but it brought her to Ben. Now that they had found each other, what was left for them in this war? She thought about the friends she had made, especially Finn. She couldn’t abandon him. She had to go back to the Resistance. 

They arrived home all soaked, dripping with water in at the front door. 

“She’s shivering,” Ben pointed to Naia. The small girl was in fact shivering.

“Let’s get these wet clothes off.” Rey lead Naia to her room.

“I’ll run a hot bath.” Rey gave Ben a weird look. “It’s something my mother used to do when I would be outside playing in the cold. She always made sure I had a hot bath to welcome me back in inside.” Ben smiled and hurried off to the bathroom to start the water enthusiastically.

Rey liked when he would share bits from his past. She wished that she had stories of her parents to share, so she enjoyed listening to his stories. It showed her that he was healing. Ben loved his parents despite his misguided actions.

Ben had drawn the perfect bath. The temperature was toasting hot but comfortable. Rey joined Naia in the tub, not wanting the water to go to waste. She hummed a song as she rinsed the girls hair. 

“Mama?”

“Hm?” 

“Am I real?”

Rey was shocked at such a sudden existential question. It only validated her thoughts on how she believed Naia was perceptive. 

“Do you think that you’re real?” Rey asked her.

Naia went quiet, thinking about the question as she brought her knees up to her chest, and then with a hint of uncertainty answered, “Yes.”

“Then you are real.” This seemed to satisfy the girls curiosity. 

Rey started combing her hands through Naia’s long dark hair. 

“Mama?” Naia prompted once more.

“Yes dear?” Rey didn’t know why she added the “dear” or where she even got that endearment from, but it felt natural to say such a thing to Naia. 

“I love you.” Her voice was small and timid like it was revealing some type of long kept secret.

“I love you too.” Rey found the words easier to say now. 

A knock on the door and then Ben entered the bathroom carrying some towels. 

“I thought you might need these.” He set the towels down on the sink counter. 

“Actually we’re just about done,” Rey said as she stood up from the bath in front of Ben. He eyed her naked body up and down. He would never get over seeing her like this. She was beautiful. But now wasn’t the time. They had an audience. 

“Come here kiddo.” Ignoring Rey, Ben held a towel out for Naia and wrapped her up in it. He felt bad that he had to ignore her beautiful body teasing him. He would have time to make it up to her later. 

As the pizza they made was in the oven, they sat in the living as a family playing a board game that Naia found on a shelf. The game required a lot of rules and pieces and even though Ben and Rey became immersed in, Naia was getting restless.

“Can we play something else?” She requested.

“Do you want to pick another board game?” Rey asked as she began packing up the game they were in the middle of playing.

“No,” Naia said definitely. 

“Well what do you want to play.”

“I don’t know,” Naia admitted. 

“I know a game you might like,” Ben suggested.

“What is it?” Naia asked. He had her attention. 

“Jedis and Siths.” Ben got up and went into the kitchen. “We don’t have any sparing sabers, and we don’t have a lot of room so we’ll use these.” He pulled out two wooden large spoons from a drawer. 

“Rey.” He handed a spoon to her as she stood up and took it.

“I’ll be Sith and mama will be Jedi.” Ben stood back in a defensive stance and extended his spoon out like a light saber ready to strike. Rey mirrored, taking a stance opposite from him. 

“Should we really be teaching her this?” Rey dropped her spoon to her side. She thought about how Naia would absorb this and bring it to school, putting them in trouble once again. 

“She’s a Skywalker. It’s in her blood,” he stated it like it was the most obvious thing. 

If Ben was going to play along, then so was she. 

“Ok, let’s do this.” Rey readied herself, extending her “saber" spoon out. 

“The goal is to strike your opponent with your saber. You can’t use your hands or feet to strike them. These sabers are a bit smaller than typical ones, so it’ll make things a lot more interesting. The Sith always has to strike first,” he instructed Naia as she was listening attentively. “First we’ll demonstrate.”

Ben nodded to Rey to start. They slowly began to circle each other with their saber spoons pointed out in defense. Rey was waiting for him to strike first since he was the Sith. Ben quickly stepped forward and hit his spoon against the Reys and then quickly stepped back. Now the match really began. Rey charged at him striking with her spoon as he countered every hit. Ben ended up walking straight back into the ottoman, falling back on the floor. His spoon flew out of his hand, landing a few feet away from him.

“I win,” Rey said. She stood over him, her spoon pointing at his chest.

“I don’t think so.” Ben reached out with his hand, and using the force he brought his spoon back to him. He struck Rey around her shin. “I win.”

“Cheater! You never said–“

“Whoa Papa how did you do that!!” Naia interrupted, running over to Ben who was still on the floor. She grabbed his hand and examined it. 

“I used the force.”

“What’s that?”

“The force is an energy that binds the galaxy together. Only some people are bestowed with the power of the force like me…and your mother.”

“Mama can use it too? What about me?” She asked. 

Her eyes looked so hopeful and Ben didn’t have the heart to tell her that she would never be able to use the force. The force didn’t work through droids because they weren’t living. 

“Only you can know if you have the force. It’s a feeling that only you can know right here,” he pointed to where Naia’s heart would be if she were living. 

Rey watched as the girl looked down, thinking about what Ben had told her. She could tell Naia desired to be like her parents and it saddened Rey that Naia could never be like them.

“It’s your turn to be the Jedi,” Rey handed her spoon to Naia, encouraging her to play.

Ben stood up and prepared himself. Naia copied him, gripping her spoon with both hands out ahead of her. 

“Ready?” 

Naia nodded. Ben was gentle with the first strike. Naia, however was coming for him with messy blows. Ben countered every one of them, not taking it too easy on her. They moved about the room. Naia jumped on the couch as Ben followed her. Rey smiled as she watched them play. Naia was very concentrated. Rey could tell that she wanted to win and prove herself. Rey knew that Ben wasn’t fighting like he usually would. He was more gentle and clumsy with his strikes. She adored how he played with Naia. 

Ben decided he wasn’t going to let her win. It would be a good lesson for the child. He could have beaten her already, but he wanted to let her try. He was surprised how hard she did try. Swinging her spoon with all of her might. She was small and fast, but untrained and messy. Ben imagined training her. Maybe one day he would train his own children. Even if they weren’t force sensitive, he would train them. Wielding a lightsaber was an essential skill in the family. 

Ben found an open and he struck her, but she was fast and she tried to block his hit. He ended up instead hitting her spoon hard and it flew out of her hands. She cried out as she lost control. 

“Gotcha,” Ben said as he very gently struck her shoulder. 

“No!” Naia ignored him and she reached out with one hand towards her spoon, in a similar way that Ben had done earlier to retrieve his spoon with the force. Naia concentrated very hard as her hand flexed outward. Her arm started to tremor outstretched, as she tried to focus everything in her to bring the force to her will. 

Rey and Ben paused in their spots observing the girl. She was trying so hard and neither didn’t know how to tell her that what she wanted to achieve she could never accomplish. 

Naia gritted her teeth trying with everything in her to summon the force.

They felt it before they saw it.

An awakening.

The spoon flew through the air and into Naia’s hand. Her force signature was taking shape. It had in fact always been there, repressed but now it coming alive. If Rey hadn’t felt it she would have believed Ben was playing some trick on her. However, Naia emanated the force. It was faint and pure and undeniable. Naia was force sensitive. Naia was alive.

* * *

* * *

_You whisper words forbidden, to see if I've been listening. Well now I'm listening._

* * *


	11. Naia

### Summary:

Rey and Ben learn the truth about Naia and the children of Earth.

* * *

The room fell silent except for Naia’s rejoice. 

“I did it! I used the force! Mama, papa did you see?”

The girl held the spoon high above her head in victory not knowing the significance of what she had just done.

Rey stood in utter shock. Her emotions ran wild. At first, upon realizing that Naia was in fact a real living breathing being she was happy. She had wished that Naia was real because she had come to love the child. If Naia were real then how was that possible? Did that mean she was actually Rey's and Ben’s biological daughter? How was that possible and what did the IMM do to make her? Rey felt anger towards the IMM. She was mad that they claimed the children to be droids. Were all the children real? Then she saw Naia, so happy and proud of herself for summoning the force. Rey became sad. All this time and she didn’t know. 

She thought back to the first day when Ben had referred to Naia as a droid and she became visibility upset; her reluctance towards the school; just moments before when she asked Rey if she were real. All the signs were there. Rey believed Naia wasn’t real because that’s what she was told and it would have never made sense if the girl were real. Rey couldn’t wrap her mind around it. Even though the thought crossed her mind a few times, Rey brushed it off. Since she believed that Naia was a droid, she hadn’t ever bothered to look into her with the force. Maybe if she had, she would have felt something, or maybe not. Naia was force sensitive but had never harnessed the force before; the child didn’t know. So maybe Rey would have never felt her presence anyways. 

“What’s wrong?” The smile on Naia’s face dropped as she looked at her parents. 

Rey hadn’t noticed that she was crying. The tears ran down her cheeks uncontrollably. She didn’t want to frighten the girl, her daughter. It was weird to think that Naia was her daughter. How ever the IMM created her, she was biologically her daughter. She may not have given birth to Naia, and their circumstance may not be conventional, but Rey was her mother. Naia was her family and she would do anything for her.

Rey went over to Naia who was still standing on the couch with the spoon in her hand. Her expressions had changed as she was worried that she did something wrong from seeing the looks on her parents faces. 

Rey grabbed Naia by her arms. She looked into her daughters eyes for what felt like the first time. Her same hazel eyes reflected back at her. There was no denying that Naia was her daughter. She cupped Naia’s face in her hands. It was unbelievable how much she saw herself in Naia’s eyes, but she also saw Ben’s features in her. Naia was beautiful, she had never appreciated that before. 

“Am I in trouble?” Naia asked, her lips trembling. 

“Not at all,” Rey smiled through her tears. She pulled Naia in for a hug. She never noticed how warm Naia was. In her arms, Rey could feel her heartbeat. It was undeniable now. Rey wondered how she could have ignored it like she did. She never let herself see the truth because the truth didn't make sense. Here was her daughter, that she didn’t know about, that she didn’t carry for nine months and birth, that she missed five years of her life. She didn’t know her own daughter. The only thing that she did know was that she loved her. 

Rey felt large arms embrace her as she hugged Naia. Ben. She was so caught up in her emotions that she hadn’t even considered how he felt about this revelation. 

The timer went off for the pizza in the oven, startling them all. Ben quickly let go to retrieve the pizza from the oven. 

“Why don’t you set the table?” Rey suggested to Naia. She patted Naia on the back sending her to the kitchen. Naia obediently listened to her mother and went to go collect the plates to put them on the table. 

Rey followed Ben to the oven where he was taking out the pizza. 

“Are you okay?” She gently grabbed his arm. Ben looked at her, his eyes red and watery. 

“I don’t understand,” he muttered. Neither did Rey. So many things didn’t make sense. Naia was alive somehow. 

They ate dinner together for what felt like the first time as a true family. Rey and Ben agreed to not talk about it with Naia around. They didn’t know how much she knew or even if she knew who she was or how she came to be. She was just a child and they didn’t want to worry or frighten her. They continued like everything was normal. 

Naia brought up many questions about the force during dinner. Ben was a lot more knowledgeable about the force than Rey would have thought. She knew Ben had proper training in the force. He even trained her for a short time. On their second day on Mon Cala they had ventured into the island's jungle and found a clearing. There, Ben had taught her a few things, before Rey had decided that Ben as a teacher was incredibly attractive and a turn on, and so their training came to a halt. But now, she realized how much Ben actually knew about the Jedi and Sith. 

He answered Naia’s questions carefully and in a way she would be able to understand. She clung to every word. Rey imagined that one day Naia would be a powerful force user. She had Ben as her father with that mighty Skywalker bloodline, and Rey as her mother who had so much untamed potential. It scared Rey, but as long as they had each other they would be fine.

After dinner, they let Naia sleep in their bed with them. They didn’t have much time left on Earth and they didn’t know what they would do. The least they could do now was spoil and love her. It felt much like the night when they came back from the carnival and Naia had slept with them then. She was in the middle as Ben and Rey slept on either side of her. That was the first night Rey and Ben shared a bed together, albeit Naia being there.

They were cuddled on the bed. Rey listened as Ben told Naia a bedtime story. He didn’t use a book, rather he made up a story. He told a story of a boy who wanted to become a pilot like his father. This boy could use the force unlike his father. The boy’s uncle was very skillful in the force and everyone wanted the boy to be more like his uncle, but the boy didn’t. In the end , it wasn’t the boy’s choice to make. His father sent him to train under his uncle.

“What happened to the boy?” Naia asked. 

“That’s another story for another night.” He tucked his daughter in and wished her goodnight. Naia fell asleep easily. 

Rey pulled out a book and began reading it. 

“What’s that?” Ben asked.

“The manual. Maybe there’s something in here that we missed or something that we can use.” Rey was flipping through the pages trying to find the right chapters that might contain something useful. 

“I’ve already read the whole book. There’s almost little to no information about the children. That should have been a red flag in itself. But then I thought maybe they didn’t want to publish any information on their illegal droids.”

“All the children…how many…what happens to them?” Rey had so many questions. 

“We’re not leaving here without Naia,” Ben said absolutely. “For now, until we come up with a plan we have to follow the schedule and appear as usual.

“We can’t let her go back to that school. We don’t know what they do to the children there.”

“They can’t know that we know. That’ll put all of us in jeopardy. The school isn’t going to do anything to her. They still have to keep face during operation hours.”

“What about her using the force?”

“She won’t use it. I’ll have a talk with her in the morning. She listens to me.”

“What if she does something by accident.”

“Rey, she’s young. She can’t just use the force by accident.”

“I know…I just worry.”

“We’ll figure it out. We’ll be okay,” Ben promised. 

Rey put her book on the side table and laid down next to Naia who was fast asleep with her koala in her hands. Ben was laying down too, with his arm wrapped protectively around their daughter. Rey nestled closer into Naia and rested her hand atop Ben’s. She fell asleep next to her daughter and the man she loved, that one day she would marry. For the first time in Rey’s life she finally felt a belonging. 

The next day Rey woke up before Naia or Ben. She slipped out of the bed quietly. She was anxious to see their schedule for the day, hoping Naia didn’t have to go to school. Unfortunately Naia did have school while Rey and Ben were scheduled to go to the gardens. Yesterday while Naia was in school they had art again. They picked up their mugs from the time they had made them before Mon Cala and spent the morning drawing sketches in the studio. Rey enjoyed these calmer activities, but she missed couple’s sport. 

She decided to start on breakfast. She would try her hand at cooking breakfast for them. Usually they just had cereal for breakfast. Using the cookbook she found a recipe in the breakfast section of just eggs, bacon, and toast. Thankfully someone had restocked her fridge and pantry upon their return from Mon Cala. They had enough food to last them though their last week here.

Rey started frying the bacon on the stove. Naia walked into the kitchen with her koala in hand. “That smells good.”

“Want to help?” Rey offered. Naia dragged a chair over to the counter and helped Rey crack some eggs. Rey found herself observing Naia’s every move. Her tiny hands carefully separating the egg shells as she concentrated on releasing the yolk without getting any shell bits in the bowl. It amazed Rey how blind she had been to think a droid could function so realistically. It was obvious to her now that Naia was alive. 

“Why don’t you go wake papa up? Breakfast is almost ready,” Rey told Naia after she washed her hands. Naia cheerfully ran off to go wake Ben up. Rey was putting their plates together in the kitchen when she heard a loud “Oof” from Ben coming from their bedroom, followed by some playful screams from Naia. Rey pictured Naia jumping on him in an attempt to wake him up like before, and then Ben tickling her in revenge. 

Ben entered the kitchen carrying Naia upside down. She was still screaming and giggling trying to free herself from Ben’s grip. He carried her all the way over to the table and set her down. While they ate Ben talked to Naia about keeping the force a family secret. She seemed to understand the severity of it, sealing the secret with a pinky promise. She was a Skywalker after all.

* * *

The gardens were a lot larger than Rey thought. There were several fields of a variety of fruits and vegetables. Rey and Ben were placed in a vegetable garden. There were many other couples throughout the fields. Today was a big harvest day on Model: Earth. Since tomorrow would be the initial departure day for many couples, it was Earth’s custom to throw a big event before departure. The event was based off of a real holiday from the real Earth. They called it “Thanksgivmas.” 

Ben walked Rey to the end of the garden, furthest away from everyone else so that they wouldn’t be heard. 

“I’ve got an idea.” He crouched down at a tomato plant and began picking the tomatoes and putting them in a basket nearby. Rey did the same.

“The event tonight is at the school's gynasium. I assume the school is where we can get our answers. At some point during the night we need to find a teacher and draw them away from everyone. Then we interrogate them. From there, we can make a plan on how we’ll get Naia out of here.”

“Do you think what Lethro said about his friends disappearing is because they found out about the children and that they must have tried to take their child with them, but the IMM wouldn’t let them so they planned to expose everything, but the IMM killed them to keep it quiet?”

“That’s quite possible. As much as I want to go in with guns blazing, we have to think about Naia’s safety.” Ben very much thought about forcing his way out of this situation if he had his lightsaber and was alone. But there were too many possibilities and risks with Naia involved.

Weakness. He could hear the word Snoke would mutter to him. Ben shook the thought out of his head. Rey was capable of taking care of herself if they were to ever get in any trouble. However, Naia couldn’t defend herself. Naia’s liability didn’t make him weak; it made him better. Before Rey, he would have done anything to get his way without regard to the people who might get hurt or die. Now he thought about ways to protect his daughter with the least amount of casualties. 

Their privacy was interrupted as another couple was getting closer to them as they picked tomatoes.

“We’ll go with your plan,” Rey told him. 

* * *

When they arrived home after picking up Naia, three packages were waiting for them by the door along with an invitation. 

**Ode to Earth**

_Model: Earth’s Biannual Thanksgivmas_

_Let’s celebrate a traditional Earth holiday by giving thanks for our harvest, our children, and you, our guests!_

_17:00-19:00_

_East Circle 14 pick up at 16:42_

_*Inside each package, you’ll find customized formal attire for the evening event._

They brought the packages inside to open them. The first package on top was smaller than the others and had Naia’s name written on it. The next two packages were of equal size but one had Rey’s name while the other had Ben’s name written on it. 

As much as Rey had a growing skepticism of the Earth project, she was looking forward to finally getting some answers at tonight’s event. Thinking about Ben’s plan was exciting. They were going on their first covert mission together. It only seemed fitting. 

“Shall we open them together?” Rey asked Naia. She could tell that Naia was excited for Thanksgivmas. If Rey didn't have a growing disgust for Earth, she too might have been excited too. All day she was out with Ben and most of the other couples harvesting crops. Her clothes were dirty and she was pretty sure she had soil in her hair. She wanted to see what kind of meal would become of their hard work. She was also grateful to receive a brand new change of clothes. 

“3,2,…1!” Rey counted down and when she reached one, they all opened their packages. Inside Rey’s she instantly saw a navy satin material. She held it up. It was like the fabric went on forever. She stood up, holding the dress in front of her. It was an all navy satin A-line dress. Rey had never worn something so elegant before. She looked at it with awe.

“A fitting dress for Kylo Ren’s fiancé,” Ben teased her, looking over at her dress. Rey eyed what he had received. It was a simple navy suite with a white shirt and navy tie to match her dress. 

“Handsome,” she noted.

“Look at my dress!” Naia held her dress up to her shoulders for them to see. Her dress was a lavender color with lots of tulle. “There’s shoes!” She pulled out a pair Mary Janes and held them up too. Rey checked her package for shoes. At the bottom she found a pair of strappy black heels. The heels weren’t too high, but Rey had never worn any sort of heel her whole life. Ben received some black dress shoes that looked comfortable. She wished that she had an outfit similar to his. She was never one to dress so feminine. 

“We’ve got about an hour until pick up,” Ben informed them. Some type of taxi bus was picking up families and bringing them to tonight’s event. Rey was glad that she wouldn’t have to bike or walk in the heels and dress. 

They had learned from their experience with getting up and ready for school everyday, the best routine would be getting Naia ready first. So they started with changing her into her formal dress and shoes. Afterwards, Ben gave her a snack and sent her on her way to play. 

“Is that a leaf in your hair?” Ben pulled out a small crumbled up leaf from Rey’s head. She had forgotten how dirty she had become from gardening. Ben wasn’t very clean either. He had some dirt smudged on his cheeks.

“Shall we shower?” Rey suggested.

“Together?” Ben raised an eyebrow.

She pulled him by the hand and lead him to the bathroom. 

* * *

Ben hadn’t noticed how big the school actually was. He had only seen it from the front side. The taxi bus drove down a small path along the school, around to the back. On the back side of the school was the gymnasium. Across from the gymnasium was a grass field with a playground in the corner. The signs of the children being real were in front of them the whole time, they just never paid attention. 

They were dropped off at the gymnasium door. Inside the atrium was a banner that greeted them. “Happy Thanksgivmas,” it read. Evergreen trees were decorated with illuminations and ornaments around the lobby. Ben thought that was strange. Snow crystal chandeliers hung from the two story ceiling. It was beautiful in many ways, like how the trees, illuminations and snow decorations all came together. It was supposed to be a holiday for the winter season and even though Ben had never experienced it, he could get a sense of it. 

A teacher approached the group of families that had just entered the atrium and asked for the children. Naia was about to join her teacher with her peers when Rey protectively put her hand on Naia’s shoulder, stopping her. 

“Rey, it’s ok.” Ben's hand went around her back as he whispered to her. “She’ll be okay.” 

Rey let Naia go. Ben could see that she worried about their daughter. In such a short time Rey had become so protective of the girl. But it wasn’t a surprise to him. Rey had been waiting for her family to come back her whole life and it wasn’t until she met him that she could let the past go. During their time on Earth before they knew the truth abut Naia, Rey was the first to take on her roll as a mother. Rey had brought them together as a family. She had confided in Ben that she wished that they could keep Naia. Then as the galaxy had heard her; her wish came true. They weren’t safe here, Ben agreed with that, so Rey had every right to be protective of the only family she’s ever known. However because they weren’t safe they didn't want to raise any suspicions. They had to keep playing along. 

It was bad enough that there were people who knew that Ben was Kylo Ren. The rumor was spreading around town and he didn’t know who believed it or not, or even if the staff had found out yet. That would be bad if the staff knew. They were employed by the IMM who Ben believed had ties with the First Order. He had been gone too long. Who knew what was going on outside of this place? Had Hux figured out his treason? 

They were led into the gymnasium. Inside the winter decorations continued. The gym had been transformed into an event hall. It was filled with snow hanging from the high ceilings. On one side of the gym was a stage with the curtains down. Round white tables with glass chairs were arranged around the room. There were many other couples scattered around the hall; some already seated, some standing and chatting. Everyone was dressed in formal wear. No children present.

“Rey!” Kista waved from the across the room. Arek was with her and waved at them too. 

Rey and Ben walked over to meet them. 

“We saved you a seat at our table.” Arek greeted each of them with a handshake. 

Ben assumed Arek was sucking up to him. Arek was some official of the First Order but Ben had never worked with him personally. The man knew enough of Kylo Ren to figure out that Ben was him. Maybe he hoped that schmoozing with the First Order warlord Kylo Ren would be beneficial for him. Little did he know of the crimes against the First Order that Ben had gladly committed and his plans to never return. 

They sat at the table with Arek and Kista, leaving two open seats for their children. Ben had never taken notice of any of the children before, but now that he knew that they must all be living he felt pity for them and their unknowing parents. He was sure he had seen Arek and Kista’s child before. A girl, maybe. That was all he remembered. 

He thought about telling Arek of what he knew. Arek would stand by his side because he believed him to be the same Kylo Ren, but Ben didn’t want to put his daughter’s life on the line with a man he knew nothing about. He couldn’t imagine what he would do if anything ever happened to Naia, especially if it was because of something he did. He had to be rational about his choices from now on. 

Music began to play as other couples took the hint and found places to sit. Ben could see Rey looking around the room searching for any sign of Naia. None of the children were anywhere to be seen. Ben knew that as along as the honeymoon wasn’t over and there were no problems, the children were safe. The IMM had an image to keep up here. Still, Ben felt Rey’s worry and so he worried too. 

The lights had dimmed as people were now sitting and the chatter in the room dissipated. The curtains on the stage opened revealing the children under bright lights. They were in two lines across the stage, all wearing red and white stocking caps. The children began to sing a song on cue. Rey stretched her neck to try to find Naia. She was in the front row, third from the right. It wasn’t hard to find her. Ben could sense her force signature naturally if she was near. He nudged Rey to Naia’s direction. Rey’s face lit up with pride, as did Ben’s as they watched Naia sing. They were like proud parents at their child’s first recital, despite the circumstances. 

When the song was over the children exited the stage and came out on the floor to find their parents. Ben scooted over one seat, so that Naia could sit between Rey and him. 

“Good job kiddo.” Ben tousled Naia’s hair and Rey patted her back when she came over to them. She smiled at their praise and sat down between her parents. She was too cute and Ben adored seeing her smile. Arek's and Kista’s child came over just after Naia. Arek patted his daughter reassuringly as she sat down next to him. Kista smiled from the other side of Arek. If only they knew. They had no idea. None of these people did, and Ben pitied them.

After the children’s choir there was a speech from the head of the Model: Earth project. The man was clean shaven and wore an expensive looking suit. Ben didn’t trust him. That man was responsible for using children like this without consent. Once the man’s speech was over food began to be served. It was the most elaborate feast Ben had ever seen. All sorts of dishes were set on their table so that they could help themselves. Rey took Naia’s plate and helped her grabbed a serving of whatever she pleased. 

An orchestra set up on the stage and started playing holiday music as they ate. The food was delicious, knowing that they had helped harvest most of the ingredients. Ben liked the pumpkin pie most of all. Something about it was so satisfying and filling. When they were done eating, many people went towards the stage and danced in the open space below the orchestra. 

“Can we go papa?” Naia tugged at Ben’s sleeve. He couldn’t say no to her, with her pleading puppy dog eyes. 

“Let’s go,” Ben reluctantly said.

Naia jumped up from her seat in excitement. Ben lead her to the dance floor as she skipped along. The song that was playing was a slow song. He took Naia’s hands and lifted her onto his feet. They swayed on the dance floor as she stood on his toes. She was so small compared to him. Her tiny hands held his. She would smile and look up at him and he was sure he would do anything for her.

Rey watched on from her seat. Her heart filled with warmth watching Ben and Naia dance. They were her family and she couldn’t be happier. She loved them. It worried her to think about if she ever lost them. They needed to get out of this place and to somewhere safe. 

Naia kept Ben on the dance floor for several more songs. She didn’t want to stop and Ben couldn’t say no. Rey was amused watching him comply so easily. He would spin her around, and shake his hands as he danced with Naia. He was a much different man than during their first date night. That man was reluctant to dance at that time. Maybe it was Naia’s charm. She was much more persuasive than Rey with her cute self. Even Rey had to admit that she had a hard time telling the girl no. 

“Mind if I cut in?” Rey had approached them on the dance floor, finally deciding to save Ben. Naia happily went off to dance some other children. 

“Thank you,” Ben said to her, relieved. 

“You two looked like you were having so much fun I almost didn’t want to intervene,” she winked at him. 

Ben pulled her close as they slow danced. 

“I saw a teacher exit the gym and go into the school,” he whispered in her ear. “We should make our move now.”

“What about Naia?” Rey could see their daughter dancing and jumping around with some other children in a circle. 

“She’s dancing. She won’t even notice we’re gone. No one will. That’s why we have to go now.”

“Let's be quick.”

They left the gymnasium unnoticed by anyone. The hallway to the school was dark and empty. It seemed like there wasn’t anyone around but Ben was sure he saw the teacher exit the doors and go this way. He noticed a light shining through the bottom of a door in the hallway. He opened the door into a dimly lit classroom. The teacher inside stood up from his desk. 

“Who are you?” The teacher asked them.

Rey and Ben stopped at the door.

“We’ve got some questions to ask you,” Rey said slowly walking forward. Bless her heart, Ben thought. Ben was usually forceful with his interrogations. He knew that most people were unwilling to divulge without a little force. The way Rey was politely asking reminded Ben of how different they were outside of this place. 

“You shouldn’t be here.” The teacher reached for something on his desk. It looked like a communication device. Ben reached out with the force and flung the object away from the teacher, hitting the wall. The teacher was stunned and a look of fear crossed his face. 

“She said we have some questions for you,” Ben hissed. He stepped towards the man as Rey followed. 

“Sure, what do you need?” The teacher, who was obviously scared after seeing Ben use the force, was trying his best to compose his unease. He sat down in his chair at his desk and waved for Rey and Ben to take a seat at one of the desks in the classroom. 

Rey and Ben walked around his desk and stood in front of him, blocking any route for an escape. 

“We know about the children. They’re not droids. They were real all along,” Rey said.

“I don’t know what you’re talking about,” the teacher feigned. 

“You know exactly what we’re talking about,” Ben spat at him as he read the man’s mind. 

“How did you do it?” Rey commanded. 

“I don’t know what you’re talking about.” 

The teacher wasn’t going to tell them. That didn’t worry Ben. He raised his hand and with it the teacher was raised from his chair up onto his toes. Ben held him up with the force. “You are going to tell us everything you know.” 

The man’s hands went up around his throat as he began to choke, but yet Ben hadn’t laid a single finger on the man. Ben was using the force to strangle the man. Rey looked at the man and back at Ben. The look on his face was stern in concentration as he pulled from the dark side to fuel his anger. She didn’t like it, and she didn’t want Ben to harm the man.

“Ben, I think that’s enough.” She tapped his shoulder.

Ben ignored her, and lifted the choking man higher into the air. His thoughts were going red in vengeance as he scanned the mind of the teacher trying to find anything he could about the children. 

“Ben!” Rey yelled at him. He released the man. He felt suddenly guilty for letting himself get so easily pulled to the dark. 

“I’ll tell you everything I know,” the man gasped on the floor. 

“You’ve already sold them!” Ben yelled at the man. That was the main thing he found in the man's thoughts. The IMM would sell the children before they even used them for Model: Earth. They sold them to whoever was willing to pay their hefty price as long as the buyers never questioned where the kids came from. 

“Those children are our most valuable assets. People will pay a lot of credits for them. It is much better for us and for the children than what we used to do to them.”

“What did you use to do?” Rey asked. 

The man didn’t answer her. He looked down at the floor to avoid eye contact. Ben had read the man’s mind. He knew. “Euthanasia,” Ben said grimly. 

“But we've changed. We no longer do that.”

“You found a better way to exploit the children after you were done with them," Ben spat.

“Using children wasn’t the original plan. Not when it first began decades ago.”

Ben could feel the man was ready to tell them the whole truth, so he wouldn’t interrupt again. He would let the man talk. 

“When the IMM first opened the Earth project, many years ago before I was even born, we did use real droids. The droids were all one standard model and so they all looked the same and acted the same. People didn’t enjoy them because they weren’t believable or relatable. We soon relaunched our droids. This time using face mapping technology by taking the DNA of their clients and constructing the image of an offspring. We customized each droid’s appearance and improved the droids functionality to make them more realistic. The new droids were successful for many years. However, they were expensive to run, because of the legality of childlike droids there wasn’t a large market for parts or programming. After each use we had to reprogram the droids and redesign the skins. The IMM was losing profit as the years carried on. 

“So we decided to try organic children. We couldn’t just jump right into it. We had to start from the beginning. We called it Project Cero. 

“Project Cero was a baby who was grown in the lab, and then raise here on Earth for the first five years of his life. We needed the memories of a child. He was raised by two origin teachers who posed as his parents and gave him the best childhood here. When Project Cero turned five, his memories were downloaded into a chip. This would become the basis for all of our children. During Project Cero’s development, an advanced incubator was built. This incubator could take DNA and rapidly grow a fetus to a five year old child in a matter of hours. 

“Once a child is released from the incubator their brains are inserted with the Project Cero chip to bypass the first five years of infancy for them. It's a painless, simple procedure. However we tweaked the chip so that the child could imprint on new parents. Once a child imprinted, their new parents would overwrite the memories of the original teachers from Project Cero. Without the Project Cero chip the children wouldn’t be able to function though. They would essentially become brain dead without it. 

“In the beginning we would take the chip out and euthanize the children since they were brain dead. However, we thought of a better idea. If we kept the chips in, the children could live after their time here. We could sell the children for more than double the amount of credits it takes to incubate and chip them. Soon there were preorders for the children. And that became the business. The IMM used their new found profits to expand their Honeymoon locations and gain more customers. Without the children of Earth, the IMM wouldn’t be so successful.”

Rey had one question, “How do we keep our child?”

The man went silent and then very quietly said, “You can’t. They’ve already been sold.”

“That’s our daughter out there. You have no right to sell her!” Rey raised her voice. Ben was shocked. Rey had been so composed up until now. Her anger turned him on a bit, but now was not the time.

“Tell that to the people in charge,” the man had the audacity to laugh. 

Not at Rey. Ben threw the man across the room with the flick of his hand. There was blood coming down from the man’s face from where he had hit something. 

“What do we have to do to keep our daughter?” Ben menacingly asked the man. 

“I don’t know.” The man raised his hands in submission. “It’s never been done before. If a couple ever found out the truth they were given the option to stay quiet or be terminated. Unfortunately, the ones who do find out almost always fought for their child, and in doing so unknowingly agreed to termination.”

“Can we buy her back?” Rey hated having to even ask. 

“All sales are final. If a child were to ever be brought back it would jeopardize the client and the IMM’s relationship. That’s why it’s not an option.”

Ben stalked over to the man who crouched on the floor in fear of Ben’s approach. “Look at me,” Ben commanded. The man feared for his life and would do whatever Ben would tell him to. When the man looked up to him, Ben reached out with his hand.

“You will forget ever meeting us.”

“I will forget ever meeting you.” 

* * *

* * *

_My heart was never pure. You know me, you know me._

* * *


	12. Rey

### Summary:

Rey goes on a mission to retrieve their lightsabers.

* * *

Their house wasn’t bugged. Rey and Ben checked every inch of it to make sure that they weren’t being listened in on. After confronting the teacher they returned to the party and did their best at blending in and feigning enjoyment. It was hard to enjoy their night knowing the truth and that they wouldn’t just be able to walk out of Earth with their daughter. They would have to possibly fight their way out. A plan needed to be made, but they couldn't discuss it at the party, not until they got home and made sure no one was listening to them. 

Naia was asleep in her bedroom. At least she had a good time at the Thanksgivmas event. It was morbid to think that the event was held as a goodbye party for the couples and the children. The unsuspecting children would have a good time and then the next day as their parents departed from their honeymoon, the children would be sent off to wherever they were sold to. There wasn’t anything they could do for the other children at the moment. Rey wished that they could help everyone, but that would be too dangerous. First, they needed to focus on Naia and get her to safety.

“We need our lightsabers,” Ben said while unbuttoning his blazer and sitting down on the couch. 

“We left them on the Greenwood on Coruscant. How can we get them? Honeymooners aren’t allowed to leave their destinations unless it’s an emergency, and even then they’ll be escorted.” Rey was glad that she read the manual as it finally became useful for something. 

“You’ll have to sneak out during tomorrow’s morning activity. Both of us can’t disappear, it’ll raise suspicions. Tomorrow there’s a departure for those that aren’t taking the extensional two days. You can sneak aboard that departing ship. Once it lands on Coruscant, you retrieve our sabers and hurry back aboard the ship before it leaves.”

“How do I sneak on it?”

“Same way you snuck out of my interrogation room.”

“That seems like ages ago.” Rey reminisced about the past. That was when she was just beginning to use the force. That was when she first met Ben. It really did feel like a long time ago. To think that they would end up here engaged, in love, and with a child already. Rey thought that she hated Ben, but looking back on it now, she didn’t hate him. She disapproved of his actions, but she never truly hated him. It was easier to want to hate him when he wore the mask, but soon after meeting her, at her request, he kept it off. She saw into his soul and the man that he truly was underneath the mess that Snoke had created. Ben was just an understanding gentle giant. 

* * *

The next morning they followed the schedule. Rey was nervous about dropping Naia off at the school. What if Rey failed her mission and someone found out? Would they be able to grab Naia from the school? If Rey failed her mission, she didn’t know what would happen to Naia and that scared her the most. The possibilities of never seeing her daughter again was terrifying. She couldn’t imagine a life without her. 

“A play. We’re scheduled to go to the theater this morning.” Ben handed her the schedule tablet as he bit into some toast. 

“Perfect,” Rey said while reading the schedule. It would be a good cover so that she could sneak off. No one would notice if she was gone, as along as she was back before school was over. It would be strange if only Ben picked up Naia since they had always done it together. Rey understood Ben’s persistence in keeping with their usual routines. If they were to diverge, someone might take notice and question them. 

On their walk to drop Naia off at school, they spotted several ground cars on Main Street. They were like the same ground cars as the one they arrived to town in. These would be the cars that would escort today’s departing couples to their ship on a space port a few miles away from the Earth compound. 

There were less people at the school this morning. It felt empty. Rey spotted the teacher from the night before; the one they interrogated. He had a bruise on his forehead but otherwise looked completely fine. It surprised Rey at how rough Ben became last night. He easily fell back into his habits in the moment. She wanted to believe that he was doing it for the good of their family, but a small part of her knew that Ben still carried that darkness with him.

Rey kissed Naia on the forehead and told her that she loved her when they dropped her off at school. It was scary to think that if something happened and her mission messed up, that maybe this would be the last time she would ever see her daughter. She was doing this for them and the potential of success outweighed the potential of what would happen if she failed. Nevertheless if she did fail, Rey would tear the galaxy apart to get her daughter back. Failure wasn’t an option. 

After dropping Naia off, they walked towards the theater and ducked away in an alley between the buildings. 

“This is goodbye,” Rey said looking down at her feet. She didn’t like goodbyes. She wished that Ben could come with her. They could do it together. 

Ben gently lifted her chin to look up at him. She felt her eyes water on the verge of tears. 

“This isn’t goodbye,” he said as he kissed her softly on the lips. He was right. This wasn’t going to be goodbye. They would see each other again shortly. She savored the touch of his lips on hers like it would be the last time they would kiss. She couldn’t help but think of what would happen if she didn’t return. 

Ben hugged her close and then released her. Rey was stronger than she knew. She would retrieve their lightsabers and make it back to him, he was sure of it. It was kind of cute in the way that she was sad to say goodbye. It reminded him of when Naia didn’t want to say goodbye to them when they were leaving for Mon Cala. They were so alike. 

* * *

Rey had snuck her way into the trunk of one of the ground cars on the plaza. No one was around the cars. She didn’t know how long she sat in the darkness of the trunk. It felt like a long time until she heard voices coming near. She prayed that no one would open the trunk door. She heard the front doors open. The car that she was in, shook as people entered the front seats. The engine turned on as the car hummed to life and began to drive off. 

That was easy, but that was expected. The hardest part would be getting on and off the shuttle that was used to transport the people to Coruscant. Rey wasn’t too worried about everything else. She anticipated that someone would see her trying to board the shuttle. She didn’t have any weapons to protect her, but she did have the force and she had gotten pretty confident in using it. 

The car slowed down to a stop. They must be at the clearing and transferring onto the shuttle. Rey waited until she heard the doors of the car stop closing and the weight shift. The car was now empty. Rey slowly lifted the trunk door. She was facing away from the ship. All she could see was trees. She heard the engine of the shuttle in the distance behind her turn on. She had to hurry otherwise she’d miss it. She opened the trunk fully and climbed out and checked cautiously about her surroundings. Everyone was already aboard. 

Rey ran from the car to the shuttle, just as the ramp was closing and she jumped aboard. She was lucky that there was no one in the entry of the shuttle. The ramp closed behind her, leaving her in a dark room. She could hear voices coming from behind a door. That must be the passenger compartment behind it. She checked around the small room to find a place to hide if anyone were to come this way. She found a closet behind a panel that was empty. She squeezed herself into it. It was a perfect fit. The closet was even darker than the room. 

The shuttle jumped into hyperdrive. Rey closed her eyes to escape the confines of the closet. She thought about Ben back on Model: Earth. He was at the theater for the next few hours. She should make it back by then. She had worried about herself getting caught but she never thought to think about what if Ben was caught without her. What if someone saw him alone and wondered where she was? Ben could handle himself, she reminded herself. 

Once Rey returned with the lightsabers, they would take Naia and leave. They hadn’t really discussed the plan; there was no time. They had two days left on Model: Earth but they would cut it short. Rey imagined that they would sneak off in the middle of the night on the next day. Run through the trees and to the entrance gate of the Earth compound. Ben would convince the guards to let them through. When they would reach the clearing where the space port was they could steal a shuttle. Rey had saw, before she boarded this one, that there were many other shuttles and ships parked there. After they stole a shuttle they would have to dropped it off at the IMM headquarters on Coruscant and retrieve the Greenwood. From there, Rey wasn’t sure what they should do next.

They could go to the Resistance. Bringing Ben with her was already dangerous enough. No one there, beside Leia would hear her out. It would take countless negotiations to get them to trust that Ben was on their side and even still, Rey was sure they would doubt him. She could understand why. But bringing Naia back with them, might raise a lot more concerns. Rey wouldn’t able to explain without exposing the whole IMM agenda. She could do that and maybe they would support her and turn the fight against the IMM. However many people of the Resistance were blinded by their hatred for the First Order. It might be hard for them to change their concentrations, especially just on trusting what Ben and her had to say. There would be a lot of drama.

Instead of returning to the Resistance, Rey could just take her family and run away somewhere. There were many places to hide in the galaxy. That was what Ben wanted. He didn’t have anything anymore, but he had Rey and he would go wherever she went. She could see why he would want to run away. They could make it work at the Resistance but it would take a lot of time and even then there would still be those who didn’t want Ben there. They could live quite happily and quietly unfazed in some part of the galaxy. Naia could be raised away from the violence of war. They could get married and welcome more children. They could have a good life in hiding. 

Rey didn’t know when she drifted off to sleep. The next thing she knew was when she heard the ramp disengage. They had landed on Coruscant. She stepped out behind the panel. She wanted to leave before the door behind her opened and the passengers came out. She heard footsteps and commotion coming behind the door. They would soon be coming out. 

Rey quickly ran down the ramp as it extended to the ground. It was bright; too bright for her eyes that had been in darkness for some time while stuffed in the closet. She squinted at her surroundings once out of the shuttle. She heard the door from inside the shuttle open as people were beginning to come out. Rey hurried off so that she wouldn’t be seen. As her vision was trying to adjust Rey spotted the Greenwood right where they had left it. She was lucky that the shuttle had landed on the same space port. There were other ports that it could have landed on at the IMM headquarters. 

When she entered the Greenwood, she went straight to the pilot’s compartment and retrieved their lightsabers. She needed a way to sneak them back into town without them being noticed. Rey checked around for something she could carry the lightsabers in. She found a cloth pouch and set the lightsabers in it. As she was about to exit the ship, she saw that many of the couples were now spread out around the port, about to board their own ships. She was worried that she would be recognized. She remember seeing a cloak next to where she found the pouch. She put it on, covering her Earthen attire and her head. 

Rey walked through the port, going unnoticed until a gust of wind unhooded her. For the briefest second that she was exposed she saw Arek, across the port, catch her eyes. She quickly put her hood back up and hurried towards the shuttle that had begin retracting its’ ramp. She boarded the ship without looking back to see if Arek was still watching. He had seen her.

She waited outside the door in the entry of the shuttle, wondering if she could go inside this time. It should be empty except for the pilots. She didn’t want to spend another flight in this small dark room. She used the force to peer into the other side to check if there was anyone there. She sensed no one in the passenger compartment. Rey opened the door and walked in. She was right. The room was vacant. 

She sat down as the shuttle went into hyperdrive. Arek had seen her. The thought crept into her mind. Had he seen her board the shuttle? Did he recognize her? She thought back to his eyes and how they looked directly at her. He did recognize her. What would he think of her being there? Arek was a smart man; after all, he had figured out that Ben was Kylo Ren. It was suspicious that Rey was on Coruscant. However, Arek wasn’t a threat. At least he shouldn’t be. He admired Ben, Kylo Ren, but that could also be dangerous. Arek was a First Order official. Once he returned to work, news would have spread by now of Ben’s treason. 

They hadn’t really left anything to suggest otherwise. Ben had told Hux that she was the one who killed Snoke, but then suddenly both he and her vanished. Hux was intelligent and despised Ben; he could have easily figured out what had really happened. They had been absent for nearly two weeks now. Who knew what lies or truths have spread about them. 

She wondered if the Resistance believed that she ran off with Kylo Ren. Maybe they thought Kylo Ren captured her and the First Order was holding her captive. If they heard any rumors about her killing Snoke that could be believable. However, if they heard rumors about Ben and her disappearing, even from the First Order, maybe they might think she abandoned them. She couldn’t dwell on the what ifs. She had to focus on getting her daughter to safety. She decided that instead of leaving the next night that they should leave tonight once she got back. They couldn’t risk waiting any longer. 

The shuttle landed back on Naboo. As soon as it landed the doors from the pilot’s compartment opened up. Two men walked into the passenger’s room to find Rey. All this time on Earth, Rey had never seen any of the staff members carry weapons. However these men pulled out blasters on her. She reached for her lightsaber in the pouch that she was carrying, but she didn’t pull it out. She needed to not create a mess.

“What are you doing here?” One of them asked. 

“It’s okay that I’m here.” Quickly thinking, Rey waved her hand at them as she spoke convincing words. 

The men relaxed. “It’s okay that you’re here,” they repeated after her in unison. 

The two men proceeded to walk out of the shuttle as Rey followed. They no longer paid her any attention. She followed them as they got into a ground car; she took the back seat. She kept her cloak up, just incase she came across anyone else. The car took off down the road towards the Model: Earth compound. 

On the way there, the car then veered off the road onto a small dirt path in the forest. Rey panicked, wondering if her force trick hadn’t worked.

“Where are we going?” She asked.

“Staff entrance,” one of them replied. 

Of course this place must have had an entrance just for the staff. Rey remembered rarely seeing anyone come and go from the only street in and out of town. On the map in the manual it had showed only that street, however on the northeast side of town, there was a blurred out section that just said “North Circle: Staff Region (off limits to guests).” She hadn’t cared about it, assuming that she would never go there since it did say off limits to guests. 

Rey saw other dirt paths branch out from the one that they were on, giving the staff access to other surrounding cities on Naboo probably. They arrived at the wall and the entrance into the North Circle. The gate opened automatically. She wondered how it worked. She assumed that maybe since she had never seen anyone show any type of identification upon entrance, that maybe the cars were registered and the gate would open for any registered car. If that were the case, then there would be strict tabs on all the vehicles. It would be hard for them if they wanted to steal one during their escape. 

As they entered the North Circle, Rey pulled her hood close. She didn’t want to be spotted by anyone. It was a lot bigger than Rey imagined. They drove through the village that was North Circle. The architect in the village was ancient, like this village had always been here even before the Model: Earth compound. It didn’t resemble Model: Earth’s town at all. She imagined that the staffed lived in this village permanently, even on the off seasons. They had always belonged here and the IMM exploited them for cheap labor. She saw children of all ages, people of all ages, around the village. She wondered if the people were slaves here. They seemed to be able to come and go as they liked and were paid well. For a brief second she thought that some of these people might be the past children of Earth. However that would be messy of the IMM to employee the children. If the children grew up and learned the truth about themselves, which she was sure the whole staff knew the truth of the children, then that might create complications or even an uprising among the previous children. It would be bad for business. The people of this village weren’t previous children. There was a type of culture here. She saw some dressed up in Earth costumes probably going into work or returning from work, and she saw some wearing what she assumed to be traditional clothes of the village. It looked peaceful.

The car pulled up into a parking space next to some other ground cars. They arrived at a building on the edge of the village that was a few stories tall. It was a modern building, compared to the rest of the village. It looked out of place. There was a plaque at the entrance that read, “IMM Housing.” Rey assumed that maybe the higher up staff lived there temporarily, like the people who weren’t a part of the village but instead brought in to help with the project. 

“Which way is town?” Rey asked the men in the front seat before they exited the car. They both pointed South. 

“You’ll give me your jacket,” Rey ordered one man.

“I’ll give you my jacket,” the man said as he took off his jacket and gave it to Rey. She took off the cloak and put on the jacket. If she was going to sneak back into town she should at least looked like she belonged. The jacket help cover her top that she was wearing. She noticed that the staff wore clothes similar to hers but theirs was more plain and cheap looking, whereas the clothes Rey and other patrons of Model: Earth wore looked more expensive and durable. The jacket would help cover up her obvious patron signal. She still had the pouch strapped on her shoulder. 

Near the parking, there were several bikes all of the same gray color. The bikes must belong with the IMM Housing building. She decided to take a bike. No one would notice. 

Rey walked through the village with the bike she stole, trying to avoid eye contact with anyone. She blended in as she kept her head down almost burying it into the jacket. When she spotted the road that would take her into town, she hopped on her bike and took off. It took only a few minutes until the trees cleared and she could see the backside of Main Street. The road round around the buildings and came out just by the entrance of Main Street. She had never noticed this road leading out of town before. There looked like there was some event being set up in the plaza for later as she rode by Main Street.

She checked her watch. She was running behind an hour. The play at the theater would be over by now, but it wasn’t exactly time for school to finish. It’s okay, she told herself. Ben and her agreed that if things took longer than expected she should just go to their house and he would meet her there. 

As Rey biked home she noticed that the town was a lot more vacant than usual, now that about half the couples had departed. It was also lunch time so most couples were somewhere eating. When she pulled up to East Circle 14, she got off the bike and walked it around to the back of their house. To hide the stolen bike, she tossed it behind a bush worried that someone might see it. She also tossed the jacket in the bush as well.

Ben’s force signature radiated through the force. He was near. It had been so strange being away for him when they had spent so much time together in the past two weeks. She had grown used to his ever present force signature. When she was alone for those few hours she realized how much she had come to depend on his presence. His force signature felt like home, wrapped around her.

She turned around to find Ben standing on the deck. So they did have a deck. He strutted down to her as she ran into his arms. It was silly to think that she missed him, even when they had been separated for such a short time, but she did miss him. He missed her too. 

“We have to leave tonight. We can’t wait until tomorrow,” she said as she released his hold.

“What happened?” Ben’s eyes were steady on her, trying to read the severity of the reason as to what made Rey changer her mind.

“Arek saw me. He’s the only one that I know of that did see me. We were on Coruscant.”

“Oh.” Ben relaxed a little, but he was nervous. He didn’t really trust Arek. That guy had only begin talking to Ben because he was Kylo Ren. Arek might do anything for power and recognition. Rey was right. “Ok, we’ll leave tonight.”

Even though their backyard was completely wooded, and no one would be able to see them, Rey pulled Ben inside their home. Once inside she took out his light saber and handed it to him. Ben clipped the saber to his belt under the sweater that he was wearing. 

Rey preceded to tell Ben everything about her mission as they made lunch and ate. The most important thing was the North Circle. They now had another way to escape the compound. The North Circle seemed like a much better option than going through the main gate. In the staff quarters they could change clothes and steal a car to get them to a shuttle.

“Where will we go once we get on the shuttle?” Ben asked her. She knew what he meant. Would they go to the Resistance? Rey had a long time to think about it back on the shuttle when she was on her way to Coruscant in that dark closet. She had to do what was best for her family, despite her own wants.

“The Resistance isn’t a place for a kid. We can’t go there,” she admitted. 

Ben looked relieved. She knew that he never wanted to go there, but he would if that’s what she wanted. 

“We’re going to run away together?” He grinned. His wildest dream was coming true.

We’re going to run away together,” Rey grinned back at him. She had to confess that the thought also excited her.

* * *

“Can we please go?” Naia begged. They had picked her up from school and planned to take her back home straight away, but the event across the street on the plaza was very alluring. Naia wanted to go. 

“We could check it out,” Ben suggested. They weren’t in a hurry. Rey was just paranoid. Now that they had their lightsabers, they could defend themselves if something ever happened. At least they weren’t defenseless. And it was their last night here, they should enjoy it even if the place had a horrible hidden agenda.

“Can we go mama?” Naia pleaded as she tugged at Rey’s pants. 

“Only for a short time,” Rey caved. Naia cheered as she ran towards the event, dragging Ben with her. Rey stood and watched them, wanting to never forget these moments. Life had been so good here. It was too good to be true and of course it was. But this place gave her a family and she didn’t regret that. 

She jogged to catch up with them. In the middle of the plaza was an ice skating rank. Some people were already out on the ice trying to skate. Similar decorated trees from the night before were surrounding the rink along with illuminations. The theme of Thanksgivmas seemed to continue here. Even the music that was playing at the rink was like that of what the orchestra was playing the evening before. 

“Good thing we didn’t skip out on the skating. They had our skates in our sizes waiting for us. I guess it might have been in the schedule,” Ben said as he handed her a pair of ice skates.

They all put on their skates and wobbled towards the rink. Ben stepped out onto the rink. He glided on the ice effortlessly. He knew how to skate. Of course he did. He could do anything, Rey was sure. He circled back and held out his hands to Naia who was on the edge of the ice. She took hold of her father's hands as she stepped onto the ice. She was shaking and almost fell over, but Ben kept her steady. Her eyes were bright with excitement as Ben pulled her further into the rink. 

Now it was Rey’s turn. She had no idea what she was doing. She stepped out onto the ice and immediately lost her balance. She almost fell but she grabbed the edge of the rink. She clung onto the edge in fear of actually falling over as she tried to skate.

Ben had pulled Naia to the center of the rink. He steadied her before he let her go. Naia began to panic. Now that Ben was no longer supporting her, her balance was off. 

“Papa!” She called after him, reaching her hands out to him. But Ben kept his distance. 

“You’re okay,” he tried to reassured her, however it didn’t work. She was restless on the ice without any guidance. 

Naia started crying in frustration. She ended up losing her balance completely and falling over. Rey looked over from where she was stuck on the edge of the ice rink. She couldn’t reach Naia, but she saw that Ben was with her. Ben had caught Naia’s fall before she hit the ice. He set her back up. 

“I can’t do it without you,” Naia said while she wiped tears from her eyes. 

“You can. Want to know a trick?” He held onto her, so that she wouldn’t fall again.

Naia nodded.

“Feel the force and trust its guidance,” he whispered.

“But you said that I can’t use the force in public.”

“For this, it’s okay. No one can tell. Close your eyes,” he said to her. Naia listened and closed her eyes. “Trust its guidance,” he repeated. He gently pulled her along the ice. 

Naia concentrated on the force. Ben secretly wondered how much of the force was Naia capable of using. She was a Skywalker by blood and she was Rey’s daughter. Naia was probably teeming with the force. The idea was both scary and exciting to Ben. 

He skated while pulling her with him for a little longer as she kept her eyes closed. Then very indistinctly, he let her go. Naia continued to skate softly on the ice without his guidance. 

“Open your eyes,” he told her. 

When she opened them she immediately screamed, and then instantly relaxed seeing that she was skating alone and she wasn’t falling. “I’m doing it!” She exclaimed as Ben applauded.

Rey looked over to see Naia skating past her. There was no way. Naia knew just as much as Rey did about ice skating which was nothing. Ben skated up to her. 

“How did you do that?” Rey asked him. 

“Let me help you,” Ben said as he took Rey’s hands. He did the same thing with Rey as he did with Naia, except there were no tears. Rey easily caught on. They weren’t as good as ice skaters as Ben was. He had experience, whereas they were just learning. At least they could skate without falling over. That was an accomplishment. 

They ended up staying at the ice rank longer than they planned. Rey was enjoying herself skating around with Naia and Ben. She was jealous that he could move so effortlessly on the ice. How was it possible that he was good at everything? They would skate together hand in hand creating a chain or sometimes they would skate individually. They forgot the time, picking up some hot cocoa at a vendor next to the ice rink. It wasn’t cold outside. The temperature was comfortable, but the ice rink and the hot cocoa made it feel like winter. 

* * *

Back home they put Naia to sleep. They agreed that it would be easier to escape if she were asleep. They both kissed her on the forehead and left her door ajar. There was still some time before they could leave after midnight. There wasn’t much to pack. They only needed the clothes on their backs, lightsabers, and Naia’s koala. 

“What about these?” Ben held up the mugs that they had made before their Mon Cala trip. 

“We’ll have to leave them behind.” Rey regretted that they couldn’t take the mugs with them. It wouldn’t help them to carry anything extra that they didn’t need. 

Rey checked the time. There was still a lot of time left. “Maybe we should get some sleep.”

Rey and Ben went into their room and laid down on the bed. Rey snuggled into Ben’s arms and closed her eyes. Once they left Naboo and this forsaken project, they could begin their lives together. 

Rey hated that she wouldn’t be able to give Finn a proper goodbye. Maybe one day she’d return to see if he was doing okay. She thought about taking down the IMM with the help of the Resistance. They could do it together and that way she wouldn’t have to say goodbye to her friends. She could live far away with Ben and Naia and report to the Resistance every so often. They would never be able to live in true peace until the First Order and the IMM wasn’t a threat anymore. Rey didn’t want to live in hiding forever. She wanted to be happy.

A sound of something falling and hitting the ground came from Naia’s room, waking them both. Rey checked the time. There was still about an hour left until they would depart. Another clashing sound came from Naia’s room. That was strange. Naia usually slept throughout the whole night. 

“I’ll go check on her,” Rey whispered as she got up and hazily went to check on Naia.

Ben stayed in bed with his eyes closed. He was anticipating getting out of this place and leaving with his family. So much laid ahead of them. He had a daughter and a soon to be wife. Ben would have never thought that his life would end up like this. He never thought he could feel so much love and happiness. All he wanted was to be with his family and protect them. He knew that Rey agreed to runaway with him, even though that meant that she had to leave her friends behind. He knew that she didn’t want to leave the fight. He didn’t want to keep her from the Resistance. If she wanted to fight with them, he’d let her as long as Naia had somewhere safe to live.

Another clash and some commotion, this time coming from the living room.

Ben felt Rey across their force bond. It had been some time since they connected through it since they no longer needed it. Rey reached out to him in a sudden wave on panic and anger and then she was gone. Ben got up and reached for his lightsaber. Something was wrong. Rey was in danger. 

Ben cautiously walked out of their bedroom, with his lightsaber up in defense. He felt the presence of other people in their living room. He thought the worse. He turned on his light saber as he walked into the living room. 

There he found about five intruders all dressed in First Order attire. Rey was kneeling on the floor in hand cuffs and a guard around her mouth so that she couldn’t talk. She looked at him with regret in her eyes. She should have taken more caution. Ben scanned the room for Naia but didn’t see her. Then General Hux appeared from the kitchen pulling Naia along by her arm. Ben felt his heart drop in his chest. No. No….no. Anger began to fill him. He raised his lightsaber ready to attack.

“I wouldn’t do that if I were you.” Hux pulled out his blaster and pointed it at Naia. She looked so scared. “I heard you were quite fond of this girl. Wouldn’t want anything to happen to her.” He shoved the blasted at Naia’s head and she whimpered. 

No. Ben couldn’t win this fight without risking his daughter’s life. Hux didn’t care, he would shoot a child. Heck, he ordered the destruction of the whole Republic. Ben had to be careful. He didn’t know what he’d do if something ever happened to Naia because of his actions. He turned off his lightsaber and lowered it.

“Take it,” Hux ordered one of his men. 

A man came over and yanked the lightsaber from Ben’s grasp. He almost didn’t give it up. He could take all of these men and even Hux, but he worried for Naia’s safety. For now, he had to surrender and when Hux and his men weren’t paying attention he could make his move. He had to get Naia away so that she wouldn’t be in any crossfires.

Another man approached Ben from behind. Hux nodded at whoever was behind him. Ben felt someone hit him aggressively on the head.

“Papa!” Naia screamed.

Rey struggled in her confines to free herself and help him.

The blow to Ben’s head was so hard and it happened so fast. The world around him went black as he fell to the ground. 

* * *

* * *

_You'll always be my only guiding light._

* * *

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> #### We've made it to the end of "Happy 12 Days of ~~Christmas~~ **REYLO!"**
> 
> I'm gonna miss writing like crazy everyday, even during my work hours. Shhhh...  
>  From now on, I will be updating randomly but I will try my best to post as often and soon as I can!  
>  Thank you so much for your comments and kudos! <3


	13. The Third Vision

### Summary:

Ben is taken prisoner by the First Order.

* * *

How easily everything had been taken from him. Rey and Ben had a plan. A solid plan. They were going to leave soon. Then the First Order showed up. Ben could have lived happily with Rey. They could have been somewhere in the galaxy tucked away and safe with Naia by now. He felt foolish to think that he could ever have any sort of happiness. It was too good to be true to have such people love him unconditionally. He didn’t deserve any of it. He didn’t deserve the beautiful woman that was Rey. She was strong, brave, and fearless. Her perseverance and belief that he could be turned, that he was still good, saved him from himself. He would always be grateful for her. He loved her. He always loved her, he understood now. They were always meant to be together. But yet he still didn’t think that he deserved her. He was too damaged. Snoke may have been gone and he may have defeated him, but the emotional scars would probably always haunt him.

In the black void of his subconsciousness all he could see was her face. The memories of Rey in his mind. All the special moments they shared on their honeymoon. Her smile, her laughter, the touch of her lips on his, her soft skin, her head resting on his bare chest. No matter what, he would always have those memories. Rey was a part of him and always would be. Their connection through the force wasn’t coincidental. He hated to think of the word, or even use it but their force bond was destiny. He always believed that his destiny was to continue what his grandfather, Darth Vader started; bringing order to the galaxy in a tyrannical way. He was wrong. So very wrong. 

Rey was his destiny.

_Ben._ He heard her call out to him in the void. He couldn’t see her anywhere, but he felt her near. 

_Rey._ He called out to her, trying to find her. 

_Ben._ She said louder, somehow closer but still far away as her voice echoed. He desperately tried to reach out and find her within the void. 

Ben jolted awake, immediately being jerked back. He seemed to be strapped into some type of interrogation chair. He couldn’t move his legs, arms, or torso. He struggled to get up and escape the chair, but he couldn’t. The chair was too strong against him and his head still hurt from where he was struck. He also felt like he had been drugged. Among the pain from his head, his whole body felt fatigued. He wondered how long he had been out. His stomach growled and he realized that he was starving. He was too weak. There wasn’t much he could do against the chair.

He looked around the room to take in his settings. The room was dark and he couldn’t see much, but he knew that he was on some First Order ship, that much was obvious. 

He was surprised when the First Order had showed up at their home so suddenly. It all happened so fast that he didn’t have time to react; to think of a plan that would keep his family safe. He couldn’t be reckless about his actions anymore. Hux would have killed Naia and that was the last thing Ben ever wanted. Not his daughter. _Not ever._ And so he had to surrender. In that moment there was nothing he could do to save his family. He had to only hope that everything would be okay eventually. However now, as he was strapped into this chair, his odds seemed bleak.

He wondered how the First Order was able to find them. He suspected that it was Arek. Arek worked for the First Order and was passionate about everything the First Order stood for. He would talk to Ben like he was Kylo Ren the warlord. Even when Ben was Kylo, he didn’t care much for the First Order’s agenda. He had authority within ranks but he did whatever Snoke commanded him to do and took full advantage of the First Order’s resources. Most of the First Order feared him for his abilities of the force, and left him alone. He was always alone, until he met Rey. 

Rey wasn’t around, wherever he was now. Probably on the new Supremacy ship from the look of the interior. He couldn’t feel Rey’s presence anymore. Had he been dreaming earlier? Neither could he feel Naia’s. They were gone, nowhere near him at least. For the first time in awhile, he was truly alone.

He cursed under his breath in frustration. He had failed his family. Most importantly he had failed Naia. She was dependent on him as her father and he couldn’t even protect her. Now he was stuck in a chair with no way out. 

Ben shook the chair, curled his hands into a fist and tried to lift himself up with all of his strength, which wasn’t a lot. He yelled out in frustration as he only managed to wiggle in the chair with no avail. The force couldn’t help him while he was weak and restrained like this. He panicked, pushing and pulling harder at his restraints when just then a holo of Hux appeared before him. 

“Your efforts are futile,” Hux spoke to him in holo form.

“How dare you. I’m the Supreme Leader,” Ben spat. His long dark hair clung to his face in the sweat that beaded over him from overexerting himself. He knew that his Supreme Leader gig was up, but it was worth a try.

“You know, when you were escorting that Jedi scum to a cell, I thought that there was something amiss. There was no way in the galaxy that she possessed enough power alone to kill Snoke and defeat his guards. Then when I went to go see the prisoner myself, she wasn’t there. It turned out that you never brought her down to the cells. In fact, several stormtroopers saw you take the girl aboard your ship and depart.” Hux didn’t budge. It seemed like he had been wanting to say this to him for quite some time. 

“Where is she?!”

“A week went by and you two were nowhere to be found,” Hux ignored his question, continuing his spiel. "The Resistance escaped while we regrouped in your absence. We suffered a massive loss with the destruction of the Supremacy and the dear death of our Supreme Leader Snoke. So I stepped up. I took on the role of the new Supreme Leader.”

“You’re too weak to be Supreme Leader.”

That broke him. 

“I’m not weak!”

“When I get out of this chair, I will destroy you. You stand no chance.”

The chair buzzed and Ben was shocked with painful waves of electricity. It unwillingly flowed through his body, tensing every muscle. It was excruciating. He felt himself lose control of his body as the pain spread unrelentingly. The world around him was beginning to be filled with bright blinding lights. And just before he thought he would slip under, the pain stopped cursing through him. Ben held his head down in shame and defeat. This was it, wasn’t it?

“That chair was made to contain you. There’s no escape. No force tricks can save you now Ren.” The holo of Hux stepped forward. Hux was looking down at him with distaste of Ben’s current inferiority. But there was a hint a smile. Hux was enjoying every bit of this. 

“Where is Rey? Where is my daughter?” Ben said in desperation. If this was how Hux was treating him, he had to know if his family was receiving similar torture. He didn’t want to think of Naia being in any pain because of what he failed to do to keep her safe. He didn’t want Rey to suffer because of him either. The First Order had come for him. It would break his soul to see them hurt because of him. Ben couldn’t escape this chair to go and save them like he wished he could do. He couldn’t do anything.

“Your daughter?” Hux scoffed. “When you ran off with that scavenger, I put a bounty on both of your heads, hoping someone would do the work for me. But no one could. And then a division officer returned from his IMM honeymoon with news of your whereabouts.” 

Hux paused, a smirk appearing on his face. Ben didn’t like that at all. That man was wicked. 

“I didn’t know that you were seeking companionship,” Hux quipped. 

Ben felt his blood boil. He couldn’t let this man humiliate him anymore. If he wasn’t in the damned chair he’d have Hux across the room right now, clasping at his throat. But Hux wasn’t even in the room. That man was smarter than anyone gave him credit for. Hux understood Ben’s abilities and knew that he could move things with the flick of a hand. But even in this chair, in his weakened state he was unsure if he could even do that now. 

“We all knew you had a soft spot for that scavenger. It’s not surprising the IMM matched you with her. You two truly belong together,” Hux said disgusted. “With her capture, we’ll lure the Resistance out so that we can finally put an end to them. As for you, you’ll pay for what you did. The penalty for your treason is execution.”

Before Ben could get any words out, the holo of Hux disappeared. Ben howled out in anger. He had to get out of here. Somehow. Someway. He tried kicking and rocking the chair over, but it wouldn’t budge. He felt the skin where his wrists were bound turning raw. A little pain didn’t matter. He had experience in that department. He could handle the pain, but he couldn’t handle certain death. He wouldn’t give up. He shook himself more violently trying to break himself free, believing that the chair would eventually loosen up. But it didn’t. And he was tired and out of breath. 

Ben sulked in the chair, feeling defeated. There was no way out of here. He was bound to this inane chair and Hux had the power to control him with electric shocks. He wondered how his execution would take place. Would he be electrocuted to death, alone here in this room? _No…_ Hux wouldn’t have it that way. Hux would want a public execution. And when Ben would be brought out of this room for his execution, he would have a better chance to escape. He wouldn’t have his lightsaber, but he had his agility and that would be enough.

Time passed by slowly. It felt like he had been in the room for hours. He knew it could have only been a few minutes however. Everything has slowed down as he waited for the possibility of death or escape. Escape would be unlikely. _But if he didn’t..._

A rogue tear ran down from his right eye. He fought the urge. The tears wanted to come, but he wouldn’t let them. He bit down on his lip and lifted his head up. He had to get it together. He wasn’t sad. No. He was angry. So angry at himself. He clenched his fists and closed his eyes and tried to focus. Crying wouldn’t do him any good now, but the anger in him grew hot. He felt his body wanting to scream and explode out of the chair. 

“Ben?” Came a familiar voice. He knew that voice. He knew it so well. But how? She wasn’t really here. He was imagining it. He hadn’t opened his eyes yet. 

“Ben.” This time she sounded closer, tangible. It gave him goosebumps. It was like his dream from earlier except he could really feel her here with him in this room. He had to be imagining it, because if this was his last few hours alive, she would be the last thing that he would want to see. His beautiful Rey. 

“Open your eyes.” A touch on his hand. A real touch. He could never forget the spark he felt whenever Rey and him touched hands. And for the briefest second, a vision passed through them; the third vision. 

Ben opened his eyes to find Rey standing right in front of him with a look of concern but not for him. He held the same concerned look.

“Naia,” they said in unison, coming to a realization. Their third vision had been unclear for the most part. Ben had saw glimpses of their future. They would make it out alive. That was clear. He saw Rey with him. But there was one thing missing from their vision. _Naia._ She wouldn’t be there with them. That was also clear. 

The thought terrified Ben. He moved to get up from the chair to stand and face Rey, wrap his arms around her. Forgetting that he was restrained, the chair jerked him back harshly. 

Rey knelt down in front of him to be on the same level. He saw her eyes search him and assess his condition. He was bound, but yet somehow she wasn't. He looked for any signs of harm done to her. She looked fine, intact in fact. Not a single cut or bruise. He was relieved. She wasn’t being tortured. She wasn’t being restrained by any cuffs either. Wherever she was, she could move around. He wondered if she had escaped capture. Hux knew the extinct of Ben’s abilities, but he didn’t know much about Rey’s. She was stronger than anyone knew. 

“I’m sorry,” she began, looking away from him in shame. She wiped a tear from her cheek. “I couldn’t protect her.” Rey couldn’t bare to look at Ben now. She was full of regret for something and she didn’t want Ben to see. “It was my fault.”

“It wasn’t your fault.” Ben wanted so desperately to reach out and touch her, gently turn her head back to see he was genuine. He could see that she was battling some inner turmoil. But he could also feel it. Their force bond that was connecting them now didn’t only bridge them between time and space. They were connected on a deeper level that transcended everything else. For some time Ben had suspected that their bond wasn’t just a bond. They could see visions through their bond and communicate through it. 

“But it was,” she glanced back at him, with watery eyes. A tear fell down her cheek. It was tearing him apart that he couldn’t reach out and softly wipe the tear away. “If I had been more careful, I wouldn’t have been seen. I brought this on us.”

“No,” Ben shook his head. “No. I brought this on us. They wanted me. They were always going to be looking for me. If it’s anyone's fault it’s mine.” He hated that he was stuck in such an asinine chair. He wanted to console her because he could see that she was hurting; carrying so much guilt. His words could only heal so much. 

“We could have escaped. Just one more hour, we would have been safe.” Rey rose from her knelt position in front of him. She turned around, wanting distance. She knew he was only saying those things to make her feel better. But she knew it was her fault. During her imprisonment it gave her plenty of time to rethink the events.

* * *

Rey had left the warm arms of Ben to go check on their child. They had just about another hour before they would be in the clear to leave in the middle of the night. She was anticipating it. They would be free from this place, but not free from those who saw them as a threat. First the First Order and now the IMM. Rey wondered if they would ever experience peace in their lives. Would they always be running or hiding? That wasn’t a life she wanted for them. 

She closed the door behind her as she left Ben alone on the bed. The house was eerily quiet as she crossed the hall to Naia’s room. Before she reached the door, a light came on in the living room. She thought it might have been Naia and so she didn’t think anything of it and turned the corner into the living room. 

There were several First Order stormtroopers standing around the living. Rey recognized a man who wasn’t in stormtrooper gear, with red hair holding Naia forcibly by the arm. Before Rey could do anything, the man raised his free hand revealing a blaster. He put the blaster’s tip to his lips making a shh-ing motion, and then pointed the blaster at Naia’s head. Rey was in shock. Not this; not now. Naia’s life was in danger. It pained Rey to see that man handling her daughter. She felt a rage boil in her that she had only ever felt through Ben. It was the darkness calling her name. How easy it would be for her to succumb to the pull. But she wouldn’t let herself. Rey couldn’t fight off the instincts that kept telling her who she was and what side of the coin she belonged to. One day she would break and let it all out. She couldn’t contain the darkness forever, but for now she would.

Rey slowly stepped into the living with her hands up in surrender. She hated this. She hated that man. Stormtroopers began to circle in around her. She wished she had her lightsaber with her. She should always have it on her. Why hadn’t she brought it with her? Why hadn’t she expected this? It was her fault that they were here. Arek had seen her and had reported them once he found out that they were on the run from the First Order. No doubt, the First Order was trying to find them, and the Resistance trying to find her. It would be the former that found them first, ever eager to eliminate a traitor. And that’s who Ben was to them, a treacherous traitor and Rey his accomplice. 

Her fists clenched as she held them up. The closer she got to Naia, the easier it would be to defend her. The odds were bad, but if Rey could just get a little closer. One of the stormtroopers had circled around behind Rey. She could feel him slowly walking up behind. She only needed to step just a little further so she could reach Naia and pull her to safety. 

If Rey hadn’t been too focused on reaching Naia; if she had paid more attention to the stormtrooper closing in on her then maybe she would have seen it coming. The stormtrooper had quickly caught Rey, wrapping some device around her mouth like a muzzle, kicked in her knees, sending her falling to the floor pushing over an end table, and captured her wrists in cuffs. Before she even knew what happened, she was on her knees, hands cuffed behind her back, and a guard around her mouth. All stormtroopers now had their blasters pointed to her as she was then dragged by the arm across the room reluctantly.

Ben was still in the bedroom unaware. He had to have heard the noise. Rey reached out to him through their bond. It was faint but she was certain that he could feel her. She was stressed in her current condition and couldn’t focus long enough to warn him. But at least she reached him. 

The sound of Ben moving in the other room alerted the stormtroopers as they tiptoed around the room to prepare for his arrival. The one light that lit the dim living room went off and they were in darkness as they waited for Ben to enter. 

The blow to Ben’s head struck him so hard that he blacked out. Rey watched in horror as he fell limp to the floor. Her world around her went hazy, the noises of Naia’s screams were muffled. It felt like all the blood in her body was rushing to her head. She tried to fight her way out, to get to Ben. But she was cuffed and guarded and the stormtroopers had her detained. There were far more people here than she could take on while also defending Naia and trying to protect an unconscious Ben. It would be too risky. She had to think rationally but her rational self told her there was no way to save them. She didn’t want to hear it but they had been defeated and captured.

“Get him out of here,” the red haired man commanded. 

Rey watched as several stormtroopers carried Ben’s large limp body out of the house. More people walked into their house. These people weren’t wearing any stormtrooper uniforms. Rey recognized one of them; the teacher that Ben and her had interrogated on the night of Thanksgivmas. He was flanked by other people who held blasters. They must be IMM. 

“The child,” the teacher said. 

The red hair man hesitated, pulling Naia closer to him. 

“We held up our end of the deal, Supreme Leader Hux. We gave you Kylo Ren. Give her to me.” The teacher commanded in a serious tone. He took a step closer. 

“I’m starting to think the child would be more valuable to us. Killing her would ensure the destruction of that whole retched Skywalker family.” He raised his blaster at Naia’s head once more. Her poor daughter. Rey tried to stand up, but the stormtrooper left in charge of her forcibly pushed her back down. No one even noticed her attempt.

“No! We made a deal Supreme Leader.” The two guards next to the teacher pointed their blasters at Hux. Scandalous. “We would break contract to allow you into our compound to take Kylo Ren and Rey. In exchange you wouldn’t touch the child.”

“And she will be sent away? Never ever to be found again?” 

“She will be sold to the customer that she was promised to. The chances of ever finding her or who her biological parents are next to none. We guarantee it.” The teacher held out his hand. “Now Naia, come.”

Hux let go of Naia and dropped his blaster. The guards flanking the teacher dropped their blasters as well. Naia was hesitant to go to her teacher. She turned to her mother. Rey couldn’t help her though. Naia had to go. Rey nodded her head towards the teacher to signal that Naia should go with him. Naia didn’t look away or acknowledge what her mother was trying to tell to her. She couldn’t go. 

Naia ran across the room towards Rey and wrapped her small arms around Rey’s neck. Naia started weeping holding tightly onto Rey. Rey desperately wished that she wasn’t cuffed. She wanted to hug her daughter but she couldn’t. She wasn’t sure if she would ever see Naia again after this, if what they said was true. The chances of ever finding her again were slim apparently. Rey cried as she let Naia hug her knowing that this might be goodbye.

“It’s time to go.” The teacher grabbed Naia’s shirt and tried pulling her away but she clung onto Rey ever so desperately.

There was nothing Rey could do. She couldn’t hug Naia or even speak to her.

“I don’t want to leave mama!” Naia sobbed into Rey’s shoulder. The room was tense. The teacher tried tugging on Naia’s shirt again but she just clung tighter to Rey. Supreme Leader Hux and the other few First Order people left were waiting impatiently. Soon their patience would wear out. Rey had to let Naia go even if that meant she would never see her again. At least she would live.

_I'll come back for you. But for now you have to go._ Rey told Naia through the force. She wasn’t sure if the girl could hear it, as she didn’t get a response back. Maybe Naia was too distraught to focus on what Rey was projecting to her. 

“Naia. Let’s go.” The teacher tugged harder and pulled Naia away from Rey. The girl sobbed as she let the teacher pull her away. There was nothing Rey could do and she was devastated. She was sobbing too. She could see herself in Naia. That moment when she too was a child and her parents had left her. She had cried for them to come back just as Naia was crying to stay with her mother. It broke Rey’s heart. She was living her worst nightmare but on the opposite side.

“No, no! Mama!” Naia cried as the teacher pulled her out of the house. Rey felt so helpless. It broke her heart to see Naia crying and reaching for her as she was being pulled away. She could see the pain in her eyes. She was broken. This was all her fault. She didn’t know whether she would ever see her daughter again. She had to hope. 

When the IMM personnel had left with Naia, they loaded Rey into a car headed to the clearing outside the Earth compound to board a ship. Rey grew anxious. She didn’t know where Ben was, and Naia had been taken to whoever had bought her. It had been a long time since Rey had felt this alone. 

* * *

Ben had seen and felt everything Rey did as he lived it through her. So Rey hadn’t known what happened to Naia and neither did he. And now Naia was lost to them forever. There would be no way to find her. 

However with an operation as extensive and lucrative as the children of Earth, there had to be records somewhere. The IMM had to keep track of where they sent their children to know which clients were profitable. The answer to where Naia had been sent was located somewhere in the galaxy. It wasn’t impossible to locate her and get her back.

“Rey you can touch my hand right? And see this chair?”

She nodded, unsure where he was going with this. 

Ben started to form an idea. If they could touch hands through the bond and sometimes have a glimpse at the other’s touching surroundings; then maybe… It was crazy. He wasn’t sure if it was true or if his plan would work, but it was better than nothing. The chances of finding Naia became less and less the longer time went by. Ben didn’t have much time left. He would have to act now.

“See if you can unlatch my restraints, but leave them in place to make it look like the chair hasn’t been compromised.”

Rey did as he said. She unclasped his ankles, then his hands, and finally the last one around his throat. Ben was free but he didn’t move. If he was being watched, which he assumed that he was, then he had to pretend that he was still restrained for his plan to work.

“I wasn’t sure if that would work but it did.” Ben was surprised. It meant that their bond was something more than just a force bond. He remembered reading about something when he had gone looking for answers about their force bond when it first happened. He had to know why he could see Rey, why they were connected and what it meant. During his research he had come across a term, dyad. A force dyad was something that only rarely occurred. 

The more Ben and Rey had been together, the stronger it grew until they were one. They were always meant to be one. One soul in two bodies. They were a dyad in the force. It was the most powerful and pure thing. They were soulmates. 

He wanted to tell Rey of what he knew but their connection was starting to fade for now. He didn’t want Rey to leave him. He didn’t want to be left alone again. He didn’t know where she was, but he would find her. 

“I’ll find Naia and then I’ll come for you,” he told her as she faded into nothing. He hadn’t realized the warmth that came and went with her presence until she was gone. 

He had promised Rey that he would find Naia and come for her. He had no idea how to find Naia or even Rey. The First Order took Rey and she could be at a number of locations or ships in the galaxy. As for Naia, if he could just find where they keep the records on the children of Earth, he could find their daughter.

He didn’t have to wait long for them to come get him for his execution. No one noticed that his cuffs were loose as the chair floated out of his cell. He was flanked by four stormtroopers who marched by his sides. Ben kept quiet and didn’t move. He was waiting. He couldn’t act too soon or too late. He would have to do it right at the perfect time. His escape plan was dependent on it. 

The stormtroopers lead him to a hall that was eerily similar to Snoke’s throne room. The hall was dark except for the red banners with the First Order insignia hanging from the ceiling to the floor. Hux was seated at some throne right at the back center of the room. It disgusted Ben seeing Hux on a throne. At least when it was Snoke, Ben held some respect for the man. Snoke was powerful on his own. However Hux, he held no power. He let others do his dirty work for him. He was a cowardly man who made snide comments to tear down his enemies. Ben couldn’t take Hux seriously as he sat on the throne. It didn’t look right. 

Hux stood up when they reached him. The stormtroopers left Ben's side to stand at the sides of the hall with the other stormtroopers and officials. Ben saw something familiar that was clipped onto Hux’s waist. It couldn’t be, could it? _How dare he!_ Ben saw his lightsaber attached to Hux waist belt. Right then and there he wanted to jump out of the chair and reach for what was rightfully his. But he had to wait for the perfect time. Having his lightsaber there would make this all the more easier though. Hux unknowingly gave him a present.

“Kylo Ren at last, the moment has come.” Hux held up his hands as if to praise some maker for this occasion. Ben wanted to laugh at this. It was quite the situation to him. Here he was strapped to a chair, unbeknownst to everyone else that he wasn’t strapped in at all, everyone that he used to work with were here to see him die, and Hux standing at a place that was meant for someone of power and yet Hux had no power. It was comical also considering what he was about to do. 

“For the murder of our Supreme Leader Snoke, you have committed treason and were unanimously found guilty.” Ben was pretty sure that the unanimously part was a lie. There probably even wasn’t a trail. If anything Hux ordered a meeting with some higher-ups of the First Order, told them that he would take over as Supreme Leader and that Kylo had killed Snoke and so he must die for that. No one probably objected because they wanted Kylo dead just as much as Hux. Kylo didn’t have any friends within the First Order. Everyone feared him and so it wouldn’t surprise him that they would easily accept Hux as the new Supreme Leader. He was cruel and inhumane but at least he was weak and didn’t possess any unpredictable force abilities. 

Ben had zoned out and didn’t hear the rest of the new Supreme Leader Hux’s speech. He guess he missed the part where Hux said that he was going to be the one to execute Ben using his own lightsaber. How fitting honestly. Ben had wondered how Hux was planning to kill him. He had thought that maybe he would have someone else do it for him as he watched. That sounded more like him.

Hux now stood a few feet closer to him with his light saber pulled out. Ben was sure that Hux had never wielded a saber before. He kind of wanted to see what would happen. Hux would make a fool of himself probably and Ben would have loved to see that. Except that the time for him to make a move would soon come. He was banking on Hux’s over the top interest in ceremonies and proving others wrong that he wouldn’t see Ben coming.

“Any last words?” Supreme Leader Hux asked Ben. He wasn’t asking as a kindness, considering the way he said it in a mocking tone. Hux was baiting him. Hux was holding his lightsaber. Ben had had enough. He had played his part well, looking weaker than ever in the chair, his head down in defeat. He had waited long enough.

Now he looked up to answer to Hux. “I’d like my lightsaber back.”

Hux let out a huff at the audacity of Ben’s request. “Excuse me?”

Ben didn’t repeat himself. He had caught Hux off guard. He stood up from the chair that was suppose to hold him. The utter shock on Hux’s face was so gratifying. All of the stormtroopers surrounding them pulled out their blasters and prepared for a fight. 

“I won’t ask again,” Ben said. He was being cocky. His freedom and escape closer by the second. Maybe he was being reckless, but it felt so exhilarating. 

Hux was too stunned to move or even say anything. The stormtroopers waited for his order. With the flick of Ben’s finger, the lightsaber hurled out of Hux’s hand and right into Ben’s. He turned it on. Hux tried to scramble to reach for his blaster, but Ben was quick. He swung his saber violently at Hux, slashing the man’s arm off. Hux screamed in agony at seeing his arm fall to the floor with a thud. Ben grabbed Hux by his other intact arm, swinging him in front of himself so that no one risk firing at Hux while trying to aim for him. 

Ben held his saber up at Hux’s neck so that the cross-guard side was inches from Hux’s jugular and the shaft was pointed outward. If Hux tried to move the red hot cross-guard edge would burn him. 

“Tell them to back down or I will kill you,” Ben told Hux. 

Hux wasted no time in telling his stormtroopers to back down. He stammered through the pain, but eventually got the words out. The stormtroopers in the hall all dropped their blasters down to their sides. Ben pushed Hux ahead of him as they made their way out. The halls on whatever ship they were on, were empty. It seemed like everyone had gone to the great hall to attend the execution of Kylo Ren. Hux probably wanted as many witnesses as possible. Ben was glad that they didn’t have to run into any more complications. He didn’t have any free hands to spare and he couldn’t let go of Hux.

It wasn’t hard to find his way to a hangar. Even though he wasn’t familiar with this ship, he had been on plenty of First Order ships and they were all kind of built similarly. The hangar was empty of any workers. A few TIE fighters had been conveniently left ready to go in the middle of the hangar.

Ben let go of Hux to board one of the fighters. He graciously would let him live. Plus it was kind of funny that he sliced off his arm and he wanted him to have to live with that reminder.

“You won’t get away with this!” Hux feebly called after him. Ben had thought that he was giving the man a kindness, letting him live. He turned around to see Hux on the ground curled around his severed arm. The man was sweaty but still held some vengeance in his eyes as he looked at Ben, his worst enemy. 

Well, he tried. Without another thought Ben pulled out his saber, turned it on and stalked over to Hux.

He knelt down in front of the man. “I already have.” 

Without any regret, Ben struck Hux through the chest with his saber, rendering him stiff. 

He could hear the sound of stormtroopers coming his way. He hastily boarded a fighter and rode out of the hangar and jumped straight into hyperdrive. He did it. He couldn’t believe that he escaped. Having his lightsaber was an added bonus and made it a lot more easier to escape. So many things could have gone wrong but it didn’t. 

Next he needed to fulfill his promise to Rey; find Naia. She could be in a number of places. The records could be anywhere across the galaxy. It would be best to start somewhere. He thought about the IMM headquarters on Coruscant. The building was too big and it was full of staff and heavily secured. He would have a hard time. Something told him that it wasn’t going to be there. The only other place he could think of where to start was the Model: Earth compound. The children were created there, kept secret there. Maybe just maybe they kept all their records there. That made sense.

He checked the date on the TIE fighter’s dashboard. It had been almost two days. By now all the rest of the couples vacationing at Model: Earth would have departed. The place would be vacant except for the local staff that ran it. It would be the perfect opportunity. He would go back to Earth. 

* * *

* * *

_It's getting dark darling, too dark to see. And I'm on my knees, and your faith in shreds._

* * *


End file.
